American Community Survey

Puerto Rico Community Survey

2007 Subject Definitions

Note: Data collection in Puerto Rico began in 2005, in the “Puerto Rico Community Survey.” These definitions apply to both the stateside and Puerto Rico components, except where specifically noted. References about comparability pertain only to the stateside American Community Survey.

Note: Data collection in group quarters began in 2006. This change in universe may affect the distribution of characteristics in areas where a significant proportion of the population lives in group quarters.

Note: Beginning with the 2007 ACS, multi-year estimates for areas of 20,000 or more population are available, using data collected in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 ACS. Subject definitions for 2002 to present are available at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/UseData/Def.htm.

1 Table of Contents

Living Quarters...... 5 Housing Unit ...... 5 Group Quarters...... 6 Housing Variables ...... 7 General Information ...... 7 Acreage (Cuerda) ...... 7 Agricultural Sales...... 8 Bedrooms...... 8 Business on Property...... 8 Condominium Status and Fee ...... 9 Contract Rent...... 10 Food Stamp Benefits ...... 11 Gross Rent ...... 11 Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income...... 12 Homeowner Vacancy Rate...... 12 House Heating Fuel...... 13 Household Size...... 13 Housing Units...... 14 Insurance for Fire, Hazard, and Flood...... 14 Kitchen Facilities...... 14 Meals Included in Rent...... 15 Mobile Home Costs...... 15 Monthly Housing Costs...... 16 Monthly Housing Costs as a Percentage of Household Income ...... 16 Mortgage Payment ...... 16 Mortgage Status...... 17 Occupants Per Room...... 17 Occupied Housing Units ...... 17 Owner-Occupied Housing Units ...... 17 Plumbing Facilities...... 17 Population in Occupied Housing Units...... 18 Poverty Status of Households...... 18 Real Estate Taxes ...... 18 Rent Asked ...... 19 Rental Vacancy Rate ...... 19 Renter-Occupied Housing Units ...... 19 Rooms...... 19 Second or Junior Mortgage Payment or Home Equity Loan ...... 19 Selected Conditions...... 20

2 Selected Monthly Owner Costs...... 20 Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income ...... 21 Specified Owner-Occupied Units...... 21 Specified Renter-Occupied Units...... 22 Telephone Service Available...... 22 Tenure...... 22 Units in Structure...... 23 Utilities ...... 24 Vacancy Status ...... 24 Vacant – Current Residence Elsewhere...... 26 Vacant Housing Units ...... 26 Value...... 26 Vehicles Available ...... 27 Year Householder Moved into Unit...... 27 Year Structure Built...... 27 Population Variables ...... 29 General Information ...... 29 Ability to Speak English...... 29 Age ...... 29 Ancestry...... 30 Children Ever Born ...... 33 Citizenship Status (U.S. Citizenship Status) ...... 33 Class of Worker...... 34 Disability Status ...... 34 Educational Attainment...... 37 Employment Status...... 39 Families ...... 42 Fertility ...... 42 Foreign-Born Population...... 42 Foster Children ...... 43 Grade in Which Enrolled...... 43 Grandparents as Caregivers...... 43 Group Quarters (GQ)...... 43 Hispanic or Latino Origin...... 44 Household...... 44 Household Type and Relationship ...... 44 Household Size...... 48 Householder...... 48 Immigrants...... 48 Income in the Past 12 Months ...... 48 Industry, Occupation, and Class of Worker ...... 54

3 Journey to Work ...... 58 Labor Force Status...... 63 Language Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English ...... 63 Marital Status ...... 66 Means of Transportation to Work ...... 68 Migration ...... 68 Native Population...... 68 Nativity...... 68 Nativity of Parent ...... 68 Occupation...... 69 Own Children ...... 69 Period of Military Service ...... 69 Persons in Family ...... 69 Persons in Household ...... 69 Place of Birth...... 69 Place of Work...... 70 Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months...... 70 Private Vehicle Occupancy ...... 74 Race ...... 74 Reference Week ...... 81 Relatives and Nonrelatives...... 81 Residence 1 Year Ago...... 81 School Enrollment and Type of School ...... 83 Sex ...... 84 Social Security Income...... 85 Subfamily ...... 85 Time Leaving Home to Go to Work ...... 85 Travel Time to Work...... 85 Type of School ...... 85 Usual Hours Worked in the Past 12 Months...... 85 Veteran Status...... 85 Weeks Worked in the Past 12 Months ...... 87 Work Experience...... 87 Work Status in the Past 12 Months ...... 89 Year of Entry ...... 89 Years of Military Service ...... 89 Derived Measures ...... 89

4 Living Quarters

Living quarters are classified as either housing units or group quarters. Living quarters are usually found in structures intended for residential use, but also may be found in structures intended for nonresidential use as well as in places such as tents, vans, and emergency and transitional shelters.

Housing Unit

A housing unit may be a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms or a single room that is occupied (or, if vacant, intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live separately from any other individuals in the building and which have direct access from outside the building or through a common hall. For vacant units, the criteria of separateness and direct access are applied to the intended occupants whenever possible. If that information cannot be obtained, the criteria are applied to the previous occupants.

Both occupied and vacant housing units are included in the housing unit inventory. Boats, recreational vehicles (RVs), vans, tents, railroad cars, and the like are included only if they are occupied as someone's current place of residence. Vacant mobile homes are included provided they are intended for occupancy on the site where they stand. Vacant mobile homes on dealers' sales lots, at the factory, or in storage yards are excluded from the housing inventory. Also excluded from the housing inventory are quarters being used entirely for nonresidential purposes, such as a store or an office, or quarters used for the storage of business supplies or inventory, machinery, or agricultural products.

Occupied Housing Unit – A housing unit is classified as occupied if it is the current place of residence of the person or group of people living in it at the time of interview, or if the occupants are only temporarily absent from the residence for two months or less, that is, away on vacation or a business trip. If all the people staying in the unit at the time of the interview are staying there for two months or less, the unit is considered to be temporarily occupied and classified as “vacant.” The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated people who share living quarters. The living quarters occupied by staff personnel within any group quarters are separate housing units if they satisfy the housing unit criteria of separateness and direct access; otherwise, they are considered group quarters.

Occupied rooms or suites of rooms in hotels, motels, and similar places are classified as housing units only when occupied by permanent residents, that is, people who consider the hotel as their current place of residence or have no current place of residence elsewhere. If any of the occupants in rooming or boarding houses, congregate housing, or continuing care facilities live separately from others in the building and have direct access, their quarters are classified as separate housing units.

Vacant Housing Unit – A housing unit is vacant if no one is living in it at the time of interview. Units occupied at the time of interview entirely by persons who are staying two

5 months or less and who have a more permanent residence elsewhere are considered to be temporarily occupied, and are classified as “vacant.”

New units not yet occupied are classified as vacant housing units if construction has reached a point where all exterior windows and doors are installed and final usable floors are in place. Vacant units are excluded from the housing inventory if they are open to the elements, that is, the roof, walls, windows, and/or doors no longer protect the interior from the elements. Also, excluded are vacant units with a sign that they are condemned or they are to be demolished.

Group Quarters

A group quarters is a place where people live or stay that is normally owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. These services may include custodial or medical care as well as other types of assistance, and residency is commonly restricted to those receiving these services. People living in group quarters usually are not related to each other.

Group quarters include such places as college residence halls, residential treatment centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, and workers’ dormitories.

Institutional Group Quarters – Includes facilities for people under formally authorized, supervised care or custody at the time of interview, such as correctional facilities, nursing facilities/skilled nursing facilities, in-patient hospice facilities, mental (psychiatric) hospitals, group homes for juveniles, and residential treatment centers for juveniles.

Noninstitutional Group Quarters – Includes facilities that are not classified as institutional group quarters, such as college/university housing, group homes intended for adults, residential treatment facilities for adults, workers’ group living quarters and Job Corps centers, and religious group quarters.

A complete description of the types of group quarters included in the 2007 ACS is located on the U.S. Census Bureau’s Internet site at www.census.gov/acs/www/UseData/GQ/def.htm.

Comparability – Collection of data from group quarters began in the 2006 American Community Survey. No data exist for prior ACS years.

6 Housing Variables

General Information

Contact List: To obtain additional information on these and other American Community Survey (ACS) subjects, see the list of Census 2000/2010 Contacts on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/contacts/www/c-census2000.html.

Scope: These definitions apply to the data collected in both the United States and Puerto Rico. The text specifically notes any differences. References about comparability to the previous ACS years refer only to the ACS in the United States. Beginning with the 2007 ACS, multi-year estimates for areas of 20,000 or more population are available, using data collected in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 ACS.

Historical Census Comparability: For additional information about the data in previous decennial censuses, see http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf4.pdf, Appendix B and subject definitions for American Community Survey years prior to 2005.

Weighting Methodology: The weighting methodology in the 2006 ACS was modified in order to ensure consistent estimates of occupied housing units, households, and householders. For more information on the 2006 weighting methodology changes see “User Notes.” There are no significant changes to the 2007 weighting methodology.

Acreage (Cuerda)

The data on acreage were obtained from Housing Question 4 in the 2007 American Community Survey. This question was asked at occupied and vacant one-family houses and mobile homes. The data for vacant units were obtained by asking a neighbor, real estate agent, building manager, or anyone else who had knowledge of the vacant unit in question.

This question determines a range of acres (cuerdas) on which the house or mobile home is located. A major purpose for this question, in conjunction with Housing Question 5 on agricultural sales, is to identify farm units. In previous American Community Surveys and in the 2000 Census, this question was used to determine single-family homes on 10 or more acres (cuerdas). The land may consist of more than one tract or plot. These tracts or plots are usually adjoining; however, they may be separated by a road, creek, another piece of land, etc.

In the American Community Surveys prior to 2004 and in Census 2000, acreage was one of the variables used to determine specified owner- and renter-occupied housing units.

Question/Concept History –The 1996-1998 question asked, “Is this house or mobile home on less than 1 acre, 1 to less than 10 acres, or 10 or more acres.” Since 1999, the question wording was changed to ask, “How many acres is this house or mobile home on?” and the second response category was modified to “1 to 9.9 acres.”

7 Agricultural Sales

Data on the sales of agricultural crops were obtained from Housing Question 5 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at occupied one-family houses and mobile homes located on lots of 1 or more acres. Data for this question exclude units on lots of less than 1 acre, units located in structures containing two or more units, and all vacant units. This question refers to the total amount (before taxes and expenses) received in the 12 months prior to the interview, from the sale of crops, vegetables, fruits, nuts, livestock and livestock products, and nursery and forest products, produced on “this property.” Respondents new to a unit were to estimate total agricultural sales from the 12 months prior to the interview even if some portion of the sales had been made by previous occupants of the unit.

This question is used mainly to classify housing units as farm or nonfarm residences, not to provide detailed information on the sale of agricultural products. Detailed information on the sale of agricultural products is provided by the Census of Agriculture, which is conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture/National Agricultural Statistics Service (see http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/).

Question/Concept History – On the 1996-1998 American Community Survey questionnaires, there were just two response categories to indicate whether or not the amount of sales was over $1,000. Since 1999, the question has included a series of response categories for the amount of the agricultural sales.

Bedrooms

The data on bedrooms were obtained from Housing Question 8 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at both occupied and vacant housing units. The number of bedrooms is the count of rooms designed to be used as bedrooms, that is, the number of rooms that would be listed as bedrooms if the house, apartment, or mobile home were on the market for sale or for rent. Included are all rooms intended to be used as bedrooms even if they currently are being used for some other purpose. A housing unit consisting of only one room is classified, by definition, as having no bedroom.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question provided a response category for “None” and space for the respondent to enter a number. Since 1999, the American Community Survey question provided pre-coded response categories.

Business on Property

The data for business on property were obtained from Housing Question 6 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at occupied and vacant one-family houses and mobile homes. A business must be easily recognizable from the outside. It usually will have a separate outside entrance and have the appearance of a business, such as a grocery store, restaurant, or barbershop. It may be either attached to the house or mobile home or be located elsewhere on the property. Those housing units in which a room is used for business or professional purposes and have no recognizable alterations to the outside are

8 not considered to have a business. Medical offices are considered businesses for tabulation purposes.

In American Community Surveys prior to 2004 and in Census 2000, business on property was one of the variables used to determine specified owner- and renter-occupied housing units.

Question/Concept History – Since 1999, the 1996-1998 ACS questions were changed to add parentheses to the question wording: “Is there a business (such as a store or barber shop) or a medical office on this property?”

Condominium Status and Fee

The data on condominium housing units were obtained from Housing Question 16 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at both occupied and vacant housing units.

Condominium Status – Condominium is a type of ownership that enables a person to own an apartment or house in a development of similarly owned units and to hold a common or joint ownership in some or all of the common areas and facilities such as land, roof, hallways, entrances, elevators, swimming pool, etc. Condominiums may be single-family houses as well as units in apartment buildings. A unit does not need to be occupied by the owner to be counted as a condominium.

Condominium Fee – A condominium fee normally is charged monthly to the owners of the individual condominium units by the condominium owners’ association to cover operating, maintenance, administrative, and improvement costs of the common property (grounds, halls, lobby, parking areas, laundry rooms, swimming pool, etc.). The costs for utilities and/or fuels may be included in the condominium fee if the units do not have separate meters.

Data on condominium fees may include real estate taxes and/or insurance payments for the common property, but do not include real estate taxes or fire, hazard, and flood insurance reported in Housing Questions 20 and 21 (in the 2007 American Community Survey) for the individual unit.

Amounts reported were the regular monthly payment, even if paid by someone outside the household or remain unpaid. Costs were estimated as closely as possible when exact costs were not known.

The data from this question were added to payments for mortgages (both first, second, home equity loans, and other junior mortgages); real estate taxes; fire hazard, and flood insurance payments; and utilities and fuels to derive “Selected Monthly Owner Costs” and “Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income” for condominium owners.

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey included the question on condominium status with one that asked for condominium fees. The words “or mobile home,” and an instruction for renters to enter the amount of the condominium fee only if the fee was in addition to rent, were added starting in 1999.

9 Contract Rent

The data on contract rent (also referred to as “rent asked” for vacant units) were obtained from Housing Question 18 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at occupied housing units that were rented for cash rent, vacant housing units that were for rent, and vacant units rented but not occupied at the time of interview.

Housing units that are renter occupied without payment of cash rent are shown separately as “No cash rent.” The unit may be owned by friends or relatives who live elsewhere and who allow occupancy without charge. Rent-free houses or apartments may be provided to compensate caretakers, ministers, tenant farmers, sharecroppers, or others.

Contract rent is the monthly rent agreed to or contracted for, regardless of any furnishings, utilities, fees, meals, or services that may be included. For vacant units, it is the monthly rent asked for the rental unit at the time of interview.

If the contract rent includes rent for a business unit or for living quarters occupied by another household, only that part of the rent estimated to be for the respondent's unit was included. Excluded was any rent paid for additional units or for business premises.

If a renter pays rent to the owner of a condominium or cooperative, and the condominium fee or cooperative carrying charge also is paid by the renter to the owner, the condominium fee or carrying charge was included as rent.

If a renter receives payments from lodgers or roomers who are listed as members of the household, the rent without deduction for any payments received from the lodgers or roomers, was to be reported. The respondent was to report the rent agreed to or contracted for even if paid by someone else such as friends or relatives living elsewhere, a church or welfare agency, or the government through subsidies or vouchers.

Median and Quartile Contract Rent – The median divides the rent distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median contract rent and one-half above the median. Quartiles divide the rent distribution into four equal parts. Median and quartile contract rent are computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) In computing median and quartile contract rent, units reported as “No cash rent” are excluded. Median and quartile rent calculations are rounded to the nearest whole dollar. Upper and lower quartiles can be used to note large rent differences among various geographic areas. (For more information on medians and quartiles, see “Derived Measures.”)

Aggregate Contract Rent – Aggregate contract rent is calculated by adding all of the contract rents for occupied housing units in an area. Aggregate contract rent is subject to rounding, which means that all cells in a matrix are rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. (For more information, see “Aggregate” under “Derived Measures.”)

Aggregate Rent Asked – Aggregate rent asked is calculated by adding all of the rents for vacant-for-rent housing units in an area. Aggregate rent asked is subject to rounding, which

10 means that all cells in a matrix are rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. (For more information, see “Aggregate” under “Derived Measures.”)

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questionnaires provided a space for the respondent to enter a dollar amount. The words “or mobile home” was added to the question starting in 1999 to be more inclusive of the structure type. Since 2004, contract rent has been shown for all renter-occupied housing units. In previous years (1996-2003), it was shown only for specified renter-occupied housing units.

Food Stamp Benefits

The data on Food Stamp benefits were obtained from Housing Question 15 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The Food Stamp Act of 1977 defines this federally-funded program as one intended to “permit low-income households to obtain a more nutritious diet” (from Title XIII of Public Law 95-113, The Food Stamp Act of 1977, declaration of policy). Food purchasing power is increased by providing eligible households with coupons or cards that can be used to purchase food. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers the Food Stamp Program through state and local welfare offices. The Food Stamp Program is the major national income support program to which all low-income and low-resource households, regardless of household characteristics, are eligible.

The questions on participation in the Food Stamp Program were designed to identify households in which one or more of the current members received food stamps during the past 12 months. Once a food stamp household was identified, a question was asked about the total value of all food stamps received for the household during that 12-month period.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Many types of GQ populations have food stamp distributions that are very different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the food stamp distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey asked for a 12- month amount for the value of the food stamps following the Yes response category. For the 1999-2002 ACS, the words “Food Stamps” were capitalized in the question following the Yes response category, and the instruction “Past 12 months’ value – Dollars” was added. Since 2003, the words “received during the past 12 months” were added to the question following the Yes response category.

Gross Rent

The data on gross rent were obtained from answers to Housing Questions 14a-d and 18 in the 2007 American Community Survey. Gross rent is the contract rent plus the estimated average monthly cost of utilities (electricity, gas, and water and sewer) and fuels (oil, coal, kerosene, wood, etc.) if these are paid by the renter (or paid for the renter by someone else). Gross rent is intended to eliminate differentials that result from varying practices with respect to the inclusion of utilities and fuels as part of the rental payment. The estimated costs of water and

11 sewer, and fuels are reported on a 12-month basis but are converted to monthly figures for the tabulations. Renter units occupied without payment of cash rent are shown separately as “No cash rent” in the tabulations.

Adjusting Gross Rent for Inflation – To inflate gross rent amounts from previous years, the dollar values are inflated to the latest year’s dollar values by multiplying by a factor equal to the average annual Consumer Price Index (CPI-U-RS) factor for the current year, divided by the average annual CPI-U-RS factor for the earlier/earliest year.

Median Gross Rent – Median gross rent divides the gross rent distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median gross rent and one-half above the median. Median gross rent is computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) Median gross rent is rounded to the nearest whole dollar. (For more information on medians, see “Derived Measures.”)

Aggregate Gross Rent – Aggregate gross rent is calculated by adding together all the gross rents for all specified housing units in an area. Aggregate gross rent is rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. (For more information, see “Aggregate” under “Derived Measures.”)

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questions have remained the same.

Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income

Gross rent as a percentage of household income is a computed ratio of monthly gross rent to monthly household income (total household income divided by 12). The ratio is computed separately for each unit and is rounded to the nearest tenth. Units for which no cash rent is paid and units occupied by households that reported no income or a net loss comprise the category, “Not computed.”

Median Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income – This measure divides the gross rent as a percentage of household income distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median gross rent as a percentage of household income and one-half above the median. Median gross rent as a percentage of household income is computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) Median gross rent as a percentage of household income is rounded to the nearest tenth. (For more information on medians, see “Derived Measures.”)

Homeowner Vacancy Rate

See Vacancy Status

12 House Heating Fuel

The data on house heating fuel were obtained from Housing Question 13 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at occupied housing units. The data show the type of fuel used most to heat the house, apartment, or mobile home.

Utility Gas – This category includes gas piped through underground pipes from a central system to serve the neighborhood.

Bottled, Tank, or LP Gas – This category includes liquid propane gas stored in bottles or tanks that are refilled or exchanged when empty.

Electricity – Electricity is generally supplied by means of above or underground electric power lines.

Fuel Oil, Kerosene, etc. – This category includes fuel oil, kerosene, gasoline, alcohol, and other combustible liquids.

Coal or Coke – This category includes coal or coke that is usually distributed by truck.

Wood – This category includes purchased wood, wood cut by household members on their property or elsewhere, driftwood, sawmill or construction scraps, or the like.

Solar Energy – This category includes heat provided by sunlight that is collected, stored, and actively distributed to most of the rooms.

Other Fuel – This category includes all other fuels not specified elsewhere.

No Fuel Used – This category includes units that do not use any fuel or that do not have heating equipment.

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questions have remained the same.

Household Size

This question is based on the count of people in occupied housing units. All people occupying the housing unit are counted, including the householder, occupants related to the householder, and lodgers, roomers, boarders, and so forth.

Average Household Size of Occupied Unit – A measure obtained by dividing the number of people living in occupied housing units by the total number of occupied housing units. This measure is rounded to the nearest hundredth.

Average Household Size of Owner-occupied Unit – A measure obtained by dividing the number of people living in owner-occupied housing units by the total number of owner- occupied housing units. This measure is rounded to the nearest hundredth.

13 Average Household Size of Renter-occupied Unit – A measure obtained by dividing the number of people living in renter-occupied housing units by the total number of renter- occupied housing units. This measure is rounded to the nearest hundredth.

Housing Units

See Living Quarters

Insurance for Fire, Hazard, and Flood

The data on fire, hazard, and flood insurance were obtained from Housing Question 21 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked of owner-occupied units. The statistics for this question refer to the annual premium for fire, hazard, and flood insurance on the property (land and buildings), that is, policies that protect the property and its contents against loss due to damage by fire, lightning, winds, hail, flood, explosion, and so on.

Liability policies are included only if they are paid with the fire, hazard, and flood insurance premiums and the amounts for fire, hazard, and flood cannot be separated. Premiums are reported even if they have not been paid or are paid by someone outside the household. When premiums are paid on other than a yearly basis, the premiums are converted to a yearly basis.

The payment for fire, hazard, and flood insurance is added to payments for real estate taxes, utilities, fuels, and mortgages (both first, second, home equity loans, and other junior mortgages) to derive “Selected Monthly Owner Costs” and “Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income.”

A separate question (22d in the 2007 American Community Survey) determines whether insurance premiums are included in the mortgage payment to the lender(s). This makes it possible to avoid counting these premiums twice in the computations.

Median Fire, Hazard, and Flood Insurance – Median fire, hazard, and flood insurance divides the fire, hazard, and flood insurance distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median fire, hazard, and flood insurance and one-half above the median. Median fire, hazard, and flood insurance is computed on the basis of a standard distribution (see the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) Median fire, hazard, and flood insurance is rounded to the nearest whole dollar. (For more information on medians, see “Derived Measures.”)

Question/Concept History – The American Community Survey questions have been the same since 1996.

Kitchen Facilities

Data on kitchen facilities were obtained from Housing Question 10 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at both occupied and vacant housing units. A unit has complete kitchen facilities when it has all three of the following facilities: (1) a sink with piped water, (2) a range or cook top and oven, and (3) a refrigerator. All kitchen

14 facilities must be located in the house, apartment, or mobile home, but they need not be in the same room. A housing unit having only a microwave or portable heating equipment such as a hot plate or camping stove should not be considered as having complete kitchen facilities. An icebox is not considered to be a refrigerator.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey questions asked whether the house or apartment had complete kitchen facilities, requiring that the three facilities all be in the same unit. In 1999, the American Community Survey added “mobile home” to the question, and capitalized the word “COMPLETE” for emphasis.

Meals Included in Rent

The data on meals included in the rent were obtained from Housing Question 18b in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked of occupied housing units that were rented for cash rent and vacant housing units that were for rent at the time of enumeration.

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questions have been the same. Starting in 2004, meals included in rent is shown for all renter-occupied housing units. In previous years (1996-2003), it was shown only for specified renter-occupied housing units.

Mobile Home Costs

The data on mobile home costs were obtained from Housing Question 24 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at owner-occupied mobile homes.

These data include the total yearly costs for personal property taxes, land or site rent, registration fees, and license fees on all owner-occupied mobile homes. The instructions are to exclude real estate taxes already reported in Question 20 in the 2007 American Community Survey.

Costs are estimated as closely as possible when exact costs are not known. Amounts are the total for an entire 12-month billing period, even if they are paid by someone outside the household or remain unpaid.

The data from this question are added to payments for mortgages; real estate taxes; fire, hazard, and flood insurance payments; utilities; and fuels to derive “Selected Monthly Owner Costs” and “Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income” for mobile home owners.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey questions were the same. Starting in 1999, the question had a lead-in question on whether the respondent had an installment loan or a contract on the mobile home. The question then asked for total costs including any installment loan.

15 Monthly Housing Costs

The data for monthly housing costs are developed from a distribution of “Selected Monthly Owner Costs” for owner-occupied units and “Gross Rent” for renter-occupied units. The owner-occupied categories are further separated into those with a mortgage and those without a mortgage. See the sections on “Selected Monthly Owner Costs” and “Gross Rent” for more details.

Median Monthly Housing Costs – This measure divides the monthly housing costs distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median monthly housing costs and one-half above the median. Medians are shown separately for units “with a mortgage” and for units “not mortgaged.” Median monthly housing costs are computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) Median monthly housing costs are rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

Monthly Housing Costs as a Percentage of Household Income

The data for monthly housing costs as a percentage of household income are developed from a distribution of “Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a percentage of Household Income” for owner-occupied and “Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income” for renter-occupied units. The owner-occupied categories are further separated into those with a mortgage and those without a mortgage. See sections on “Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income” and “Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income” for more details.

Mortgage Payment

The data on mortgage payment were obtained from Housing Question 22b in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at owner-occupied units. The question provides the regular monthly amount required to be paid the lender for the first mortgage (deed of trust, contract to purchase, or similar debt) on the property. Amounts are included even if the payments are delinquent or paid by someone else. The amounts reported are included in the computation of “Selected Monthly Owner Costs” and “Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income” for units with a mortgage.

The amounts reported include everything paid to the lender including principal and interest payments, real estate taxes, fire, hazard, and flood insurance payments, and mortgage insurance premiums. Separate questions determine whether real estate taxes and fire, hazard, and flood insurance payments are included in the mortgage payment to the lender. This makes it possible to avoid counting these components twice in the computation of “Selected Monthly Owner Costs.”

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questions have been the same.

16 Mortgage Status

The data on mortgage status were obtained from Housing Questions 22a and 23a in the 2007 American Community Survey. The questions were asked at owner-occupied units. “Mortgage” refers to all forms of debt where the property is pledged as security for repayment of the debt, including deeds of trust; trust deeds; contracts to purchase; land contracts; junior mortgages; and home equity loans.

A mortgage is considered a first mortgage if it has prior claim over any other mortgage or if it is the only mortgage on the property. All other mortgages, (second, third, etc.) are considered junior mortgages. A home equity loan is generally a junior mortgage. If no first mortgage is reported, but a junior mortgage or home equity loan is reported, then the loan is considered a first mortgage.

In most data products, the tabulations for “Selected Monthly Owner Costs” and “Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income” usually are shown separately for units “with a mortgage” and for units “not mortgaged.” The category “not mortgaged” is comprised of housing units owned free and clear of debt.

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questions have been the same.

Occupants Per Room

Occupants per room is obtained by dividing the number of people in each occupied housing unit by the number of rooms in the unit. The figures show the number of occupied housing units having the specified ratio of people per room. Although the Census Bureau has no official definition of crowded units, many users consider units with more than one occupant per room to be crowded. Occupants per room is rounded to the nearest hundredth.

Occupied Housing Units

See Living Quarters

Owner-Occupied Housing Units

See Tenure

Plumbing Facilities

The data on plumbing facilities were obtained from Housing Question 9 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at both occupied and vacant housing units. Complete plumbing facilities include: (1) hot and cold piped water, (2) a flush toilet, and (3) a bathtub or shower. All three facilities must be located inside the house, apartment, or mobile home, but not necessarily in the same room. Housing units are classified as lacking complete plumbing facilities when any of the three facilities is not present.

17 Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questions have been the same.

Population in Occupied Housing Units

The data shown for population in occupied units is the total population minus any people living in group quarters. All people occupying the housing unit are counted, including the householder, occupants related to the householder, and lodgers, roomers, boarders, and so forth.

Poverty Status of Households

The data on poverty status of households were derived from answers to the income questions. Since poverty is defined at the family level and not the household level, the poverty status of the household is determined by the poverty status of the householder. Households are classified as poor when the total income of the householder’s family is below the appropriate poverty threshold. (For nonfamily householders, their own income is compared with the appropriate threshold.) The income of people living in the household who are unrelated to the householder is not considered when determining the poverty status of a household, nor does their presence affect the family size in determining the appropriate threshold. The poverty thresholds vary depending on three criteria: size of family, number of related children, and, for 1- and 2-person families, age of householder. (For more information, see “Poverty Status” and “Income” under “Population Variables.”)

Real Estate Taxes

The data on real estate taxes were obtained from Housing Question 20 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at owner-occupied units. The statistics from this question refer to the total amount of all real estate taxes on the entire property (land and buildings) payable to all taxing jurisdictions, including special assessments, school taxes, county taxes, and so forth.

Real estate taxes include state, local, and all other real estate taxes even if delinquent, unpaid, or paid by someone who is not a member of the household. However, taxes due from prior years are not included. If taxes are paid on other than a yearly basis, the payments are converted to a yearly basis.

The payment for real estate taxes is added to payments for fire, hazard, and flood insurance; utilities and fuels; and mortgages (both first and second mortgages, home equity loans, and other junior mortgages) to derive “Selected Monthly Owner Costs” and “Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income.” A separate question (Question 22c in the 2007 American Community Survey) determines whether real estate taxes are included in the mortgage payment to the lender(s). This makes it possible to avoid counting taxes twice in the computations.

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questions have been the same.

18 Rent Asked

See Contract Rent

Rental Vacancy Rate

See Vacancy Status

Renter-Occupied Housing Units

See Tenure

Rooms

The data on rooms were obtained from Housing Question 7 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at both occupied and vacant housing units. The statistics on rooms are in terms of the number of housing units with a specified number of rooms. The intent of this question is to count the number of whole rooms used for living purposes.

For each unit, rooms include living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, finished recreation rooms, enclosed porches suitable for year-round use, and lodger's rooms. Excluded are strip or pullman kitchens, bathrooms, open porches, balconies, halls or foyers, half- rooms, utility rooms, unfinished attics or basements, or other unfinished space used for storage. A partially divided room is a separate room only if there is a partition from floor to ceiling, but not if the partition consists solely of shelves or cabinets.

Median Rooms. This measure divides the room distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median number of rooms and one-half above the median. In computing median rooms, the whole number is used as the midpoint of the interval; thus, the category “3 rooms” is treated as an interval ranging from 2.5 to 3.5 rooms. Median rooms is rounded to the nearest tenth. (For more information on medians, see the discussion under “Derived Measures.”)

Aggregate Rooms. Aggregate rooms is calculated by adding all of the rooms for housing units in an area. A value of “10” is assigned to rooms for units falling within the terminal category, “9 or more rooms.” (For more information on aggregates, see “Derived Measures.”)

Question/Concept History – Since 1999, the American Community Survey provided response categories from “1 room” to “9 or more rooms.” The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question provided a space for a write-in entry.

Second or Junior Mortgage Payment or Home Equity Loan

The data on second mortgages or home equity loan payments were obtained from Housing Questions 23a and 23b in the 2007 American Community Survey. The questions were asked at owner-occupied units. Question 23a asks whether a second mortgage or a home equity

19 loan exists on the property. Question 23b provides the regular monthly amount required to be paid to the lender on all second and junior mortgages and home equity loans. Amounts are included even if the payments are delinquent or paid by someone else. The amounts reported are included in the computation of “Selected Monthly Owner Costs” and “Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income” for units with a mortgage.

All mortgages other than first mortgages (for example, second, third, etc.) are classified as “junior” mortgages. A second mortgage is a junior mortgage that gives the lender a claim against the property that is second to the claim of the holder of the first mortgage. Any other junior mortgage(s) would be subordinate to the second mortgage. A home equity loan is a line of credit available to the borrower that is secured by real estate. It may be placed on a property that already has a first or second mortgage, or it may be placed on a property that is owned free and clear.

If the respondents answered that no first mortgage existed, but a second mortgage or a home equity loan did, a computer edit assigned the unit a first mortgage and made the first mortgage monthly payment the amount reported in the second mortgage. The second mortgage/home equity loan data were then made “No” in Question 23a and blank in Question 23b.

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questions remained the same.

Selected Conditions

The variable “Selected Conditions” is defined for owner- and renter-occupied housing units as having at least one of the following conditions: 1) lacking complete plumbing facilities, 2) lacking complete kitchen facilities, 3) with 1.01 or more occupants per room, 4) selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income greater than 30 percent, and 5) gross rent as a percentage of household income greater than 30 percent.

Selected Monthly Owner Costs

The data on selected monthly owner costs were obtained from Housing Questions 14 and Questions 20 through 24 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The data were obtained for owner-occupied units. Selected monthly owner costs are the sum of payments for mortgages, deeds of trust, contracts to purchase, or similar debts on the property (including payments for the first mortgage, second mortgages, home equity loans, and other junior mortgages); real estate taxes; fire, hazard, and flood insurance on the property; utilities (electricity, gas, and water and sewer); and fuels (oil, coal, kerosene, wood, etc.). It also includes, where appropriate, the monthly condominium fee for condominiums and mobile home costs (installment loan payments, personal property taxes, site rent, registration fees, and license fees). Selected monthly owner costs were tabulated for all owner-occupied units, and usually are shown separately for units “with a mortgage” and for units “not mortgaged.

Adjusting Selected Monthly Owner Costs for Inflation – To inflate selected monthly owner costs from previous years, the dollar values are inflated to the latest year’s dollar values by multiplying by a factor equal to the average annual Consumer Price Index (CPI-U-

20 RS) factor for the current year, divided by the average annual CPI-U-RS factor for the earlier/earliest year.

Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs – This measure divides the selected monthly owner costs distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median selected monthly owner costs and one-half above the median. Medians are shown separately for units “with a mortgage” and for units “not mortgaged.” Median selected monthly owner costs are computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) Median selected monthly owner costs are rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questions have been the same. The American Community Survey collected the monthly cost of electricity and gas, and the 12-month cost of water and sewer. Since 2004, selected monthly owner costs has been shown for all owner-occupied housing units. In previous years (1996-2003), the question was shown only for specified owner-occupied housing units.

Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income

The information on selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income is the computed ratio of selected monthly owner costs to monthly household income. The ratio was computed separately for each unit and rounded to the nearest whole percentage. The data are tabulated only for owner-occupied units.

Separate distributions are often shown for units “with a mortgage” and for units “not mortgaged.” Units occupied by households reporting no income or a net loss are included in the “not computed” category. (For more information, see the discussion under “Selected Monthly Owner Costs.”)

Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income. This measure divides the selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income and one-half above the median. Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income is computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income is rounded to the nearest tenth. (For more information on medians, see “Derived Measures.”)

Specified Owner-Occupied Units

Specified owner-occupied units include only 1-family houses on less than 10 acres (cuerdas) without a business or medical office on the property. The data for “specified units” exclude mobile homes, houses with a business or medical office, houses on 10 or more acres (cuerdas), and housing units in multiunit buildings.

21 Specified Renter-Occupied Units

Specified renter-occupied units are renter-occupied units that exclude 1-family houses on 10 or more acres (cuerdas).

Telephone Service Available

The data on telephones were obtained from Housing Question 11 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at occupied housing units.

The question asked whether telephone service was available in the house, apartment, or mobile home. A telephone must be in working order and service available in the house, apartment, or mobile home that allows the respondent to both make and receive calls. Households whose service has been discontinued for nonpayment or other reasons are not counted as having telephone service available.

Question/Concept History – For the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the question asked whether there was a telephone in the house or apartment. A telephone must be inside the house or apartment for the unit to be classified as having a telephone. Units where the respondent uses a telephone located inside the building but not in the respondent's living quarters are classified as having no telephone. The words “or mobile home” were added in the 1999 question to be more inclusive of the structure type. In 2004 instructions that accompanied the ACS mail questionnaire advised respondents to answer that the house, apartment, or mobile home had telephone service if cell phones were used by household members.

Tenure

The data for tenure were obtained from Housing Question 17 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at occupied housing units. Occupied housing units are classified as either owner occupied or renter occupied.

Owner Occupied – A housing unit is owner occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for. The owner or co-owner must live in the unit and usually is Person 1 on the questionnaire. The unit is “Owned by you or someone in this household with a mortgage or loan” if it is being purchased with a mortgage or some other debt arrangement such as a deed of trust, trust deed, contract to purchase, land contract, or purchase agreement. The unit also is considered owned with a mortgage if it is built on leased land and there is a mortgage on the unit. Mobile homes occupied by owners with installment loan balances also are included in this category.

A housing unit is “Owned by you or someone in this household free and clear (without a mortgage)” if there is no mortgage or other similar debt on the house, apartment, or mobile home including units built on leased land if the unit is owned outright without a mortgage.

Renter Occupied – All occupied housing units which are not owner occupied, whether they are rented for cash rent or occupied without payment of cash rent, are classified as renter

22 occupied. “No cash rent” units are separately identified in the rent tabulations. Such units are generally provided free by friends or relatives or in exchange for services such as resident manager, caretaker, minister, or tenant farmer. Housing units on military bases also are classified in the “No cash rent” category. “Rented for cash rent” includes units in continuing care, sometimes called life care arrangements. These arrangements usually involve a contract between one or more individuals and a health services provider guaranteeing the individual shelter, usually a house or apartment, and services, such as meals or transportation to shopping or recreation. (For more information, see “Meals Included in Rent.”)

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the American Community Survey questions have been the same.

Units in Structure

The data on units in structure (also referred to as “type of structure”) were obtained from Housing Question 1 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at occupied and vacant housing units. A structure is a separate building that either has open spaces on all sides or is separated from other structures by dividing walls that extend from ground to roof. In determining the number of units in a structure, all housing units, both occupied and vacant, are counted. Stores and office space are excluded. The statistics are presented for the number of housing units in structures of specified type and size, not for the number of residential buildings.

Mobile Home – Both occupied and vacant mobile homes to which no permanent rooms have been added are counted in this category. Mobile homes used only for business purposes or for extra sleeping space and mobile homes for sale on a dealer's lot, at the factory, or in storage are not counted in the housing inventory.

1-Unit, Detached – This is a 1-unit structure detached from any other house, that is, with open space on all four sides. Such structures are considered detached even if they have an adjoining shed or garage. A one-family house that contains a business is considered detached as long as the building has open space on all four sides. Mobile homes to which one or more permanent rooms have been added or built also are included.

1-Unit, Attached – This is a 1-unit structure that has one or more walls extending from ground to roof separating it from adjoining structures. In row houses (sometimes called townhouses), double houses, or houses attached to nonresidential structures, each house is a separate, attached structure if the dividing or common wall goes from ground to roof.

2 or More Apartments – These are units in structures containing 2 or more housing units, further categorized as units in structures with 2, 3 or 4, 5 to 9, 10 to 19, 20 to 49, and 50 or more apartments.

Boat, RV, Van, Etc. – This category is for any living quarters occupied as a housing unit that does not fit the previous categories. Examples that fit this category are houseboats, railroad cars, campers, and vans. Recreational vehicles, boats, vans, tents, railroad cars, and the like are included only if they are occupied as someone's current place of residence.

23 Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question provided the response category, “a mobile home or trailer.” Starting in 1999, the ACS response category dropped “or trailer” to read as “a mobile home.”

Utilities

The data on utility costs were obtained from Housing Questions 14a through 14d in the 2007 American Community Survey. The questions were asked of occupied housing units. The questions about electricity and gas asked for the monthly costs, and the questions about water, sewer, and other fuels (oil, coal, wood, kerosene, etc.) asked for the yearly costs.

Costs are recorded if paid by or billed to occupants, a welfare agency, relatives, or friends. Costs that are paid by landlords, included in the rent payment, or included in condominium or cooperative fees are excluded.

Limitation of the Data – Research has shown that respondents tended to overstate their expenses for electricity and gas when compared to utility company records. There is some evidence that this overstatement is reduced when yearly costs are asked rather than monthly costs. Caution should be exercised in using these data for direct analysis because costs are not reported for certain kinds of units such as renter-occupied units with all utilities included in the rent and owner-occupied condominium units with utilities included in the condominium fee.

Question/Concept History – The American Community Survey questions ask for monthly costs for electricity and gas, and yearly costs for water/sewer and other fuels. Since 1999, the words “or mobile home” were added to each question, and Question 14b, which asked “Last month, what was the cost of gas for this house, apartment, or mobile home?” had an additional response category, “included in electricity payment entered above.”

Vacancy Status

The data on vacancy status were obtained only for a sample of cases in the computer-assisted personal interview (known as “CAPI”) follow-up by field representatives. Data on vacancy status were obtained at the time of the personal visit. Vacancy status and other characteristics of vacant units were determined by field representatives obtaining information from landlords, owners, neighbors, rental agents, and others. Vacant units are subdivided according to their housing market classification as follows:

For Rent – These are vacant units offered “for rent,” and vacant units offered either “for rent” or “for sale.”

Rented, Not Occupied – These are vacant units rented but not yet occupied, including units where money has been paid or agreed upon, but the renter has not yet moved in.

For Sale Only – These are vacant units being offered “for sale only,” including units in cooperatives and condominium projects if the individual units are offered “for sale only.” If units are offered either “for rent” or “for sale” they are included in the “for rent” classification.

24 Sold, Not Occupied – These are vacant units sold but not yet occupied, including units that have been sold recently, but the new owner has not yet moved in.

For Seasonal, Recreational, or Occasional Use – These are vacant units used or intended for use only in certain seasons or for weekends or other occasional use throughout the year. Seasonal units include those used for summer or winter sports or recreation, such as beach cottages and hunting cabins. Seasonal units also may include quarters for such workers as herders and loggers. Interval ownership units, sometimes called shared-ownership or time- sharing condominiums, also are included here.

For Migrant Workers – These include vacant units intended for occupancy by migratory workers employed in farm work during the crop season. (Work in a cannery, a freezer plant, or a food-processing plant is not farm work.)

Other Vacant – If a vacant unit does not fall into any of the categories specified above, it is classified as “Other vacant.” For example, this category includes units held for occupancy by a caretaker or janitor, and units held for personal reasons of the owner.

Homeowner Vacancy Rate – The homeowner vacancy rate is the proportion of the homeowner inventory that is vacant “for sale.” It is computed by dividing the number of vacant units “for sale only” by the sum of the owner-occupied units, vacant units that are “for sale only,” and vacant units that have been sold but not yet occupied, and then multiplying by 100. This measure is rounded to the nearest tenth.

Rental Vacancy Rate – The rental vacancy rate is the proportion of the rental inventory that is vacant “for rent.” It is computed by dividing the number of vacant units “for rent” by the sum of the renter-occupied units, vacant units that are “for rent,” and vacant units that have been rented but not yet occupied, and then multiplying by 100. This measure is rounded to the nearest tenth.

Available Housing Vacancy Rate – The proportion of the housing inventory that is vacant- for-sale only and vacant-for-rent. It is computed by dividing the sum of vacant-for-sale only housing units and vacant-for-rent housing units, by the sum of occupied units, vacant-for-sale only housing units, vacant-sold-not occupied housing units, vacant-for-rent housing units, and vacant-rented-not-occupied housing units, and then multiplying by 100. This measure is rounded to the nearest tenth.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-2004 American Community Survey and Census 2000 used a single vacancy status category for units that were either “Rented or sold, not occupied.” Since the 2005 ACS, there have been two separate categories, “Rented, not occupied and “Sold, not occupied.” This change created consistency among the ACS, the Housing Vacancy Survey, and the proposed 2010 Census vacancy status response options. The revised categories were incorporated in the calculations of the rental vacancy rate and the homeowner vacancy rate.

25 Vacant – Current Residence Elsewhere

A housing unit occupied at the time of interview entirely by people who will be there for 2 months or less.

Vacant Housing Units

See Housing Unit

Value

The data on value (also referred to as “price asked” for vacant units) were obtained from Housing Question 19 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at housing units that were owned, being bought, vacant for sale, or sold not occupied at the time of the survey. Value is the respondent's estimate of how much the property (house and lot, mobile home and lot, or condominium unit) would sell for if it were for sale. If the house or mobile home was owned or being bought, but the land on which it sits was not, the respondent was asked to estimate the combined value of the house or mobile home and the land. For vacant units, value was the price asked for the property. Value was tabulated separately for all owner-occupied and vacant-for-sale housing units, as well as owner- occupied and vacant-for-sale mobile homes.

Adjusting Value for Inflation – Since value is the only dollar amount captured on the questionnaire in specified intervals (checkboxes), the category boundaries for previous years are not adjusted for inflation. In the comparison profiles, however, the median value is adjusted for inflation by multiplying a factor equal to the average annual CPI-U-RS factor for the current year, divided by the average annual CPI-U-RS factor for the earlier/earliest year.

Median and Quartile Value – The median divides the value distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median value of the property (house and lot, mobile home and lot, or condominium unit) and one-half above the median. Quartiles divide the value distribution into four equal parts. Median and quartile value are computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) Median and quartile value calculations are rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. Upper and lower quartiles can be used to note large value differences among various geographic areas. (For more information on medians and quartiles, see “Derived Measures.”)

Aggregate Value – To calculate aggregate value, the amount assigned for the category “Less than $10,000” is $9,000. The amount assigned to the category $1,000,000 or more” is $1,250,000. Aggregate value is rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. (For more information on aggregates, see “Derived Measures.”)

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question provided a space for the respondent to enter a dollar amount. Since 1999, the American Community Survey question provided 19 pre-coded response categories from “Less than $10,000” to “$250,000 or more – Specify.” Starting in 2004, value was shown for all owner-

26 occupied housing units. In previous years (1996-2003), it was shown only for specified owner-occupied housing units.

Vehicles Available

The data on vehicles available were obtained from Housing Question 12 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The questions were asked at occupied housing units. These data show the number of passenger cars, vans, and pickup or panel trucks of one-ton capacity or less kept at home and available for the use of household members. Vehicles rented or leased for one month or more, company vehicles, and police and government vehicles are included if kept at home and used for non-business purposes. Dismantled or immobile vehicles are excluded. Vehicles kept at home but used only for business purposes also are excluded.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question provided a space for the respondent to enter the number of vehicles. Since 1999, the American Community Survey question provided pre-coded response categories.

Year Householder Moved into Unit

The data on year householder moved into unit were obtained from answers to Housing Question 3, which was asked of occupied housing units. These data refer to the year of the latest move by the householder. If the householder moved back into a housing unit he or she previously occupied, the year of the latest move was reported. If the householder moved from one apartment to another within the same building, the year the householder moved into the present apartment was reported. The intent is to establish the year the present occupancy by the householder began. The year that the householder moved in is not necessarily the same year other members of the household moved in, although in the great majority of cases an entire household moves at the same time.

Median Year Householder Moved into Unit – Median year householder moved into unit divides the distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median year householder moved into unit and one-half above the median. Median year householder moved into unit is computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) Median year householder moved into unit is rounded to the nearest calendar year. (For more information on medians, see “Derived Measures.”)

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the question provided two write-in spaces for the respondent to enter month and year the householder (person 1) moved into the house, apartment, or mobile home.

Year Structure Built

The data on year structure built were obtained from Housing Question 2 in the 2007 American Community Survey. The question was asked at both occupied and vacant housing units. Year structure built refers to when the building was first constructed, not when it was

27 remodeled, added to, or converted. Housing units under construction are included as vacant housing if they meet the housing unit definition, that is, all exterior windows, doors, and final usable floors are in place. For mobile homes, houseboats, RVs, etc., the manufacturer's model year was assumed to be the year built. The data relate to the number of units built during the specified periods that were still in existence at the time of interview.

Median Year Structure Built – Median year structure built divides the distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median year structure built and one-half above the median. Median year structure built is computed on the basis of a standard distribution (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) The median is rounded to the nearest calendar year. Median age of housing can be obtained by subtracting median year structure built from survey year. For example, if the median year structure built is 1968, the median age of housing in that area is 39 years (2007 minus 1968). (For more information on medians, see “Derived Measures.”)

Limitation of the Data – Data on year structure built are more susceptible to errors of response and non-reporting than data on many other questions because respondents must rely on their memory or on estimates by people who have lived in the neighborhood a long time.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question provided a write-in space for the respondent to enter a year. Since 1999, the question provided 9 pre-coded response categories, which showed ranges of years. The response categories were updated starting in 2003 to provide detail for recently built structures.

28 Population Variables

General Information

Contact List: To obtain additional information on these and other American Community Survey subjects, see the list of Census 2000/2010 Contacts on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/contacts/www/c-census2000.html.

Scope: These definitions apply to the data collected in both the United States and Puerto Rico. The text specifically notes any differences. References about comparability to the previous ACS years refer only to the ACS in the United States. Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters is included in the data tabulations. Beginning with the 2007 ACS, multi-year estimates for areas of 20,000 or more population are available, using data collected in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 ACS.

Historical Census Comparability: For additional information about the data in previous decennial censuses, see http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf4.pdf, Appendix B and subject definitions for American Community Survey years prior to 2005.

Weighting Methodology: The weighting methodology in the 2006 ACS was modified in order to ensure consistent estimates of occupied housing units, households, and householders. For more information on the 2006 weighting methodology changes see “User Notes.” There are no significant changes to the 2007 weighting methodology.

Ability to Speak English

See Language Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English

Age

The data on age were derived from answers to Question 2. The age classification is based on the age of the person in complete years at the time of interview. Both age and date of birth are used in combination to calculate the most accurate age at the time of the interview. Inconsistently reported and missing values are assigned or imputed based on the values of other variables for that person, from other people in the household, or from people in other households (“hot deck” imputation).

Data on age are used to determine the applicability of other questions for a particular individual and to classify other characteristics in tabulations. Age data are needed to interpret most social and economic characteristics used to plan and analyze programs and policies. Therefore, age data are tabulated by many different age groupings, such as 5-year age groups.

Median Age – The median age is the age that divides the population into two equal-size groups. Half of the population is older than the median age and half is younger. Median age is based on a standard distribution of the population by single years of age and is shown to

29 the nearest tenth of a year. (See the sections on “Standard Distributions” and “Medians” under “Derived Measures.”)

Age Dependency Ratio – The age dependency ratio is derived by dividing the combined under-18 and 65-and-over populations by the 18-to-64 population and multiplying by 100.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio – The old-age dependency ratio is derived by dividing the population 65 years and over by the 18-to-64 population and multiplying by 100.

Child Dependency Ratio – The child dependency ratio is derived by dividing the population under 18 years by the 18-to-64 population, and multiplying by 100.

Limitation of the Data – Caution should be taken when comparing population in age groups across time. The entire population continually ages into older age groups over time and babies fill in the youngest age group. So, the population of a certain age is made up of a completely different group of people in 2000 and 2007. Since populations occasionally experience booms/increases and busts/decreases in births, deaths, or migration (for example, the postwar Baby Boom from 1946-1964), one should not necessarily expect that the population in an age group in Census 2000 should be similar in size or proportion to the population in the same age group in the 2007 ACS. For example, Baby Boomers were age 36 to 54 in Census 2000 while they were age 43 to 61 in the 2007 ACS. So, the age group 55 to 59 would show a considerable increase in population when comparing Census 2000 data with the 2007 ACS data.

Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have age distributions that are very different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the age distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-2002 American Community Survey question asked for month, day, and year of birth before age. Since 2003, the American Community Survey question asked for age, followed by month, day, and year of birth.

Ancestry

The data on ancestry were derived from answers to Question 12. The question was based on self-identification; the data on ancestry represent self-classification by people according to the ancestry group(s) with which they most closely identify. Ancestry refers to a person’s ethnic origin or descent, “roots,” or heritage; or the place of birth of the person, the person's parents, or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. Some ethnic identities, such as “Egyptian” or “Polish” can be traced to geographic areas outside the United States, while other ethnicities such as “Pennsylvania German” or “Cajun” evolved in the United States.

The intent of the ancestry question was not to measure the degree of attachment the respondent had to a particular ethnicity, but simply to establish that the respondent had a connection to and self-identified with a particular ethnic group. For example, a response of “Irish” might reflect total involvement in an Irish community or only a memory of ancestors several generations removed from the individual.

30 The Census Bureau coded the responses through an automated review, edit, and coding operation. The open-ended write-in ancestry question was coded by subject-matter specialists into a numeric representation using a code list containing over 1,000 categories. The code list reflects the results of the Census Bureau's own research and consultations with many ethnic experts. Many decisions were made to determine the classification of responses. These decisions affected the grouping of the tabulated data. For example, the “Indonesian” category includes the responses of “Indonesian,” “Celebesian,” “Moluccan,” and a number of other responses.

The ancestry question allowed respondents to report one or more ancestry groups. Generally, only the first two responses reported were coded. If a response was in terms of a dual ancestry, for example, “Irish English,” the person was assigned two codes, in this case one for Irish and another for English. However, in certain cases, multiple responses such as “French Canadian,” “Scotch-Irish,” “Greek Cypriot,” and “Black Dutch” were assigned a single code reflecting their status as unique groups. If a person reported one of these unique groups in addition to another group, for example, “Scotch-Irish English,” resulting in three terms, that person received one code for the unique group (Scotch-Irish) and another one for the remaining group (English). If a person reported “English Irish French,” only English and Irish were coded. For certain combinations of ancestries where the ancestry group is a part of another, such as “German Bavarian,” the responses were coded as a single ancestry using the more detailed group (Bavarian). Also, responses such as “Polish-American” or “Italian- American” were coded and tabulated as a single entry (Polish or Italian).

The Census Bureau accepted “American” as a unique ethnicity if it was given alone, with an ambiguous response, or with state names. If the respondent listed any other ethnic identity such as “Italian American,” generally the “American” portion of the response was not coded. However, distinct groups such as “American Indian,” “Mexican American,” and “African American” were coded and identified separately because they represented groups who may consider themselves different from those who reported as “Indian,” “Mexican,” or “African,” respectively.

In all tabulations, when respondents provided an unclassifiable ethnic identity (for example, “multi-national,” “adopted,” or “I have no idea”), the answer was included in “Unclassified or not reported.”

The tabulations on ancestry use two types of data presentations – one used total people as the base, and the other used total responses as the base. The following are categories shown in the two data presentations.

Presentations Based on People

People Reporting Single Ancestry – Includes all people who reported only one ethnic group such as “German.” Also included in this category are people with multiple-term responses such as “Scotch-Irish” who are assigned a single code because they represent one distinct group.

31 People Reporting Multiple Ancestries – Includes all people who reported more than one group, such as “German” and “Irish” and were assigned two ancestry codes.

People Reporting Ancestry – Includes all people who reported each ancestry, regardless of whether it was their first or second ancestry, or part of a single or multiple response.

Presentations Based on Responses

First Ancestry Reported – Includes the first response of all people who reported at least one codeable entry. For example, in this category, the count for Danish would include all those who reported only Danish and those who reported Danish first and then some other group.

Second Ancestry Reported – Includes the second response of all people who reported a multiple ancestry. Thus, the count for Danish in this category includes all people who reported Danish as the second response, regardless of the first response provided.

Total Ancestries Reported – Includes the total number of ancestries reported and coded. If a person reported a multiple ancestry such as “French Danish,” that response was counted twice in the tabulations--once in the French category and again in the Danish category. Thus, the sum of the counts in this type of presentation is not the total population but the total of all responses.

Limitation of the Data – Although some experts consider religious affiliation a component of ethnic identity, the ancestry question was not designed to collect any information concerning religion. The Census Bureau is prohibited from collecting information on religion. Thus, if a religion was given as an answer to the ancestry question, it was coded as an “Other” response.

Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have ancestry distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the ancestry distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1999 American Community Survey system for coding required consistency checks with answers to other questions when the write-in response to ancestry was “Indian.” The coding in 2000 and subsequent years involved consistency checks for those respondents writing “Indian” and for two-word ancestries containing the word “Black,” such as “Black Irish.” Since 1999, the list of examples differed from those used for the 1996-1998 ACS.

32 Children Ever Born

For the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the data on fertility (also referred to as “children ever born”) were derived from answers to Question 18, which was asked of all women 15 years old and over regardless of marital status. Stillbirths, stepchildren, and adopted children were excluded from the number of children ever born. Ever-married women were instructed to include all children born to them before and during their most recent marriage, children no longer living, and children living away from home, as well as children who were still living in the home. Never-married women were instructed to include all children born to them.

Data were most frequently presented in terms of the aggregate number of children ever born to women in the specified category and in terms of the rate per 1,000 women.

Beginning in 1999, American Community Survey data on fertility were derived from questions that asked if the person had given birth in the past 12 months. See the section on “Fertility” for more information.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey used a write-in space for the number and a response category for “None.” No question addressed “children ever born” after 1998.

Citizenship Status (U.S. Citizenship Status)

The data on citizenship status were derived from answers to Question 8. The responses to this question were used to determine the U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen populations as well as to determine the native and foreign-born populations.

Respondents were asked to select one of five categories: (1) born in the United States, (2) born in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Northern Marianas, (3) born abroad of American parent or parents, (4) U.S. citizen by naturalization, or (5) not a citizen of the United States. People born in American Samoa, although not explicitly listed, are included in the second response category.

For the Puerto Rico Community Survey, respondents were asked to select one of five categories: (1) born in Puerto Rico, (2) born in a U.S. state, District of Columbia, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Northern Marianas, (3) born abroad of American parent or parents, (4) U.S. citizen by naturalization, or (5) not a citizen of the United States. People born in American Samoa, although not explicitly listed, are included in the second response category.

When no information on citizenship status was reported for a person, information for other household members, if available, was used to assign a citizenship status to the respondent. All cases of nonresponse that were not assigned a citizenship status based on information from other household members were allocated the citizenship status of another person with similar characteristics who provided complete information. In cases of conflicting responses, place of birth information is used to edit citizenship status. For example, if a respondent

33 states he or she was born in Puerto Rico but was not a U.S. citizen, the edits use the response to the place of birth question to change the respondent’s status to “U.S. citizen at birth.”

U.S. Citizen – Respondents who indicated that they were born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area (such as Guam), or abroad of American (U.S. citizen) parent or parents are considered U.S. citizens at birth. Foreign-born people who indicated that they were U.S. citizens through naturalization also are considered U.S. citizens.

Not a U.S. Citizen – Respondents who indicated that they were not U.S. citizens at the time of the survey.

Native – The native population includes anyone who was a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national at birth. This includes respondents who indicated they were born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area (such as Guam), or abroad of American (U.S. citizen) parent or parents.

Foreign born – The foreign-born population includes anyone who was not a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national at birth. This includes respondents who indicated they were a U.S. citizen by naturalization or not a U.S. citizen.

The American Community Survey questionnaires do not ask about immigration status. The population surveyed includes all people who indicated that the United States was their usual place of residence on the survey date. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (immigrants), temporary migrants (e.g., foreign students), humanitarian migrants (e.g., refugees), and unauthorized migrants (people illegally present in the United States).

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have citizenship status distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the citizenship status distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – In the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the third response category was “Yes, born abroad of American parent(s).” However, since 1999 in the American Community Surveys and since the 2005 Puerto Rico Community Surveys, the response category was “Yes, born abroad of American parent or parents.”

Class of Worker

See Industry, Occupation, and Class of Worker

Disability Status

The Census Bureau defines disability as a long-lasting sensory, physical, mental, or emotional condition or conditions that make it difficult for a person to do functional or participatory activities such as seeing, hearing, walking, climbing stairs, learning,

34 remembering, concentrating, dressing, bathing, going outside the home, or working at a job. In the 2007 American Community Survey, there are three disability questions, each with two subparts, as described below.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. The universe for most disability data tabulations is the civilian noninstitutionalized population. Some types of GQ populations have disability distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the noninstitutionalized GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the disability distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial noninstitutionalized GQ population. For example, the number of people with a disability may increase in areas having a substantial group home population. In areas having a substantial college dormitory population, the percentage of people with a disability may decrease because the base of the percentage, which now includes the population in college dormitories, is larger.

Sensory and Physical Limitations

The data on sensory and physical limitations were derived from answers to Questions 15a and 15b, which were asked of people 5 years old and over. Questions 15a and 15b asked respondents if they had any of the following two long-lasting conditions: “Blindness, deafness, severe vision or hearing impairment,” or “A condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying.” Respondents were instructed to mark “yes” or “no” for each long-lasting condition. Question 15a is labeled as “Sensory disability” and Question 15b as “Physical disability” for some of the disability data products such as the ACS Detailed Tables.

Question/Concept History – For the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the question, which was asked of persons 5 years old and over, instructed the respondents to mark each appropriate box if they had difficulty with any of the following three specific functions: “Difficulty seeing (even with glasses),” “Difficulty hearing (even with a hearing aid),” or “Difficulty walking.” The respondents could mark as many as three boxes depending on their functional limitation status. If the respondents did not have difficulty with any of the three specific functions, the question instructed them to mark the box labeled “None of the above.” The sensory and physical disability data obtained from the 1996-1998 American Community Survey are not comparable to data collected from the 1999-2007 American Community Surveys.

Limitations in Cognitive Functioning (“Mental Disability”)

The data on cognitive functioning were derived from answers to Question 16a, which was asked of people 5 years old and over. The question asked respondents if they had a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more that made it difficult “learning, remembering, or concentrating.” Respondents were instructed to mark “yes” or “no.” Question 16a is labeled as “Mental Disability” for some disability data products such as the ACS Detailed Tables.

35 Question/Concept History – No comparable data on cognitive functioning were obtained in the 1996-1998 American Community Survey. This question was introduced in the 1999 American Community Survey.

Self-Care Limitations

The data on self-care limitations were derived from answers to Question 16b, which was asked of people 5 years and over. The question asked respondents if they had a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more that made it difficult “dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home.” Respondents were instructed to mark “yes” or “no.” Question 16b is labeled as “Self-Care Disability” for some disability data products such as the ACS Detailed Tables.

Question/Concept History – No comparable data on self-care limitations were obtained in the 1996-1998 American Community Survey. This question was introduced in the 1999 American Community Survey.

Going-Outside-Home Limitations

The data on mobility limitations were derived from answers to Question 17a. Although Question 17a was asked of people 15 years and over, the data products only report this type of disability for people 16 years and over. The question asked respondents if they had a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more that made it difficult “going outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor’s office.” Respondents were instructed to mark “yes” or “no.” Question 17a is labeled as “Go-outside-home Disability” for some disability products such as the ACS Detailed Tables.

Limitation of the Data – The Census Bureau does not recommend trend analysis using the 2003-2007 data with years prior to 2003 due to the 2003 questionnaire change. For more information regarding the 2003 questionnaire change, view “Disability Data From the American Community Survey: A Brief Examination of the Effects of a Question Redesign in 2003” (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability/ACS_disability.pdf).

Question/Concept History – For the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the data on going-outside-home limitations were derived from answers to Question 16a, which was asked of persons 16 years old and over. The question was slightly different from the 1999-2002 question and asked the respondents if they had a long-lasting physical or mental condition that made it difficult to “go outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor's office.” In the 1999-2002 American Community Survey, the going-outside-home question was part of Question 16. The 2003 questionnaire moved go-outside-home limitations to Question 17a and introduced a new skip instruction between Questions 16 and 17.

Employment Limitations

The data on employment limitations were derived from answers to Question 17b. Although it was asked of people 15 years and over, the data products only report this type of disability for people aged 16 to 64. The question asked the respondents if they had a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more that made it difficult “working at a job or

36 business.” Respondents were instructed to mark “yes” or “no.” Question 17b is labeled as “Employment Disability” for some disability data products such as the ACS Detailed Tables.

Question/Concept History – For the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the data on employment limitations were derived from answers to Question 16b, which was asked of persons 16 years old and over. The question was slightly different from the 1999-2003 question and asked the respondents if they had a long-lasting physical or mental condition that “prevents this person from working at a job or business.” In the 1999-2002 American Community Survey, the employment limitations question was part of Question 16. The 2003 questionnaire moved the employment limitations to Question 17b and introduced a new skip instruction between Questions 16 and 17.

Limitation of the Data – The Census Bureau does not recommend trend analysis using the 2003-2007 data with years prior to 2003 due to the 2003 questionnaire change. For more information regarding the 2003 questionnaire change, view “Disability Data From the American Community Survey: A Brief Examination of the Effects of a Question Redesign in 2003” (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability/ACS_disability.pdf).

Disability Status

The Census Bureau uses the six disability questions above to determine an individual’s disability status in some of its data products such as in the ACS Detailed Tables and the Disability Profile. People aged 16 to 64 were classified as having a disability if they reported at least one of the above six limitations. People aged 5 to 15 were classified as having a disability if they reported any one of the four limitations: sensory disability, physical disability, mental disability, or self-care disability. People 65 and over were classified as having a disability if they reported any one of the five limitations: sensory disability, physical disability, mental disability, self-care disability, or going-outside-home disability.

Limitation of the Data – Since two of the six questions used to determine disability status are no longer comparable with those of the prior years, the Census Bureau does not recommend trend analysis using the 2003-2007 data with years prior to 2003. For more information regarding the 2003 questionnaire change, view “Disability Data from the American Community Survey: A Brief Examination of the Effects of a Question Redesign in 2003” (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability/ACS_disability.pdf).

Educational Attainment

Data on educational attainment were derived from answers to Question 11, which was asked of all respondents. Educational attainment data are tabulated for people 18 years old and over. Respondents are classified according to the highest degree or the highest level of school completed. The question included instructions for persons currently enrolled in school to report the level of the previous grade attended or the highest degree received.

The educational attainment question included a response category that allowed people to report completing the 12th grade without receiving a high school diploma. Respondents who received a high school diploma or the equivalent (for example, passed the test of General Educational Development (G.E.D.)), and did not attend college, were instructed to report

37 “high school graduate.” “Some college” is in two categories: “Some college credit, but less than 1 year” and “1 or more years of college, no degree.” The category “Associate’s degree” included people whose highest degree is an associate’s degree, which generally requires 2 years of college level work and is either in an occupational program that prepares them for a specific occupation, or an academic program primarily in the arts and sciences. The course work may or may not be transferable to a bachelor’s degree. Master’s degrees include the traditional MA and MS degrees and field-specific degrees, such as MSW, MEd, MBA, MLS, and MEng. Instructions included in the respondent instruction guide provided the following examples of professional school degrees: Medicine, dentistry, chiropractic, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatry, veterinary medicine, law, and theology. The order in which degrees were listed suggested that doctorate degrees were “higher” than professional school degrees, which were “higher” than master's degrees. If more than one box was filled, the response was edited to the highest level or degree reported.

The instructions further specified that schooling completed in foreign or ungraded school systems should be reported as the equivalent level of schooling in the regular American system. The instructions specified that certificates or diplomas for training in specific trades or from vocational, technical or business schools were not to be reported. Honorary degrees awarded for a respondent's accomplishments were not to be reported.

High School Graduate or Higher – This category includes people whose highest degree was a high school diploma or its equivalent, people who attended college but did not receive a degree, and people who received an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or professional or doctorate degree. People who reported completing the 12th grade but not receiving a diploma are not included.

Not Enrolled, Not High School Graduate – This category includes people of compulsory school attendance age or above who were not enrolled in school and were not high school graduates. These people may be referred to as “high school dropouts.” There is no restriction on when they “dropped out” of school; therefore, they may have dropped out before high school and never attended high school.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have educational attainment distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the educational attainment distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – Since 1999, the American Community Survey question does not have the response category for “Vocational, technical, or business school degree” that the 1996-1998 American Community Surveys question had. Starting in 1999, the American Community Survey question had two categories for some college: “Some college credit, but less than 1 year” and “1 or more years of college, no degree.” The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question had one category: “Some college but no degree.”

In the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the educational attainment question was used to estimate level of enrollment. Since 1999, a question regarding grade of enrollment was included.

38 Since 1999, the American Community Survey attainment question grouped grade categories below high school into the following three categories: “Nursery school to 4th grade,” “5th grade or 6th grade,” and “7th grade or 8th grade.” The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question allowed a write-in for highest grade completed for grades 1-11 in addition to “Nursery or preschool” and “Kindergarten.”

Employment Status

The data on employment status were derived from Questions 23 and 29 to 31 in the 2007 American Community Survey. (In the 1999-2002 American Community Survey, data were derived from Questions 22 and 28 to 30; in the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, data were derived from Questions 21 and 28 to 30.) The questions were asked of all people 15 years old and over. The series of questions on employment status was designed to identify, in this sequence: (1) people who worked at any time during the reference week; (2) people on temporary layoff who were available for work; (3) people who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff); (4) people who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and (5) people not in the labor force. (For more information, see the discussion under “Reference Week.”)

The employment status data shown in American Community Survey tabulations relate to people 16 years old and over.

Employed – This category includes all civilians 16 years old and over who either (1) were “at work,” that is, those who did any work at all during the reference week as paid employees, worked in their own business or profession, worked on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers on a family farm or in a family business; or (2) were “with a job but not at work,” that is, those who did not work during the reference week but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, industrial dispute, vacation, or other personal reasons. Excluded from the employed are people whose only activity consisted of work around the house or unpaid volunteer work for religious, charitable, and similar organizations; also excluded are all institutionalized people and people on active duty in the United States Armed Forces.

Civilian Employed – This term is defined exactly the same as the term “employed” above.

Unemployed – All civilians 16 years old and over are classified as unemployed if they (1) were neither “at work” nor “with a job but not at work” during the reference week, and (2) were looking for work during the last 4 weeks, and (3) were available to start a job. Also included as unemployed are civilians who did not work at all during the reference week, were waiting to be called back to a job from which they had been laid off, and were available for work except for temporary illness. Examples of job seeking activities are:

• Registering at a public or private employment office • Meeting with prospective employers • Investigating possibilities for starting a professional practice or opening a business

39 • Placing or answering advertisements • Writing letters of application • Being on a union or professional register

Civilian Labor Force – Consists of people classified as employed or unemployed in accordance with the criteria described above.

Unemployment Rate – The unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the civilian labor force. For example, if the civilian labor force equals 100 people and 7 people are unemployed, then the unemployment rate would be 7 percent.

Labor Force – All people classified in the civilian labor force plus members of the U.S. Armed Forces (people on active duty with the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard).

Labor Force Participation Rate – The labor force participation rate represents the proportion of the population that is in the labor force. For example, if there are 100 people in the population 16 years and over, and 64 of them are in the labor force, then the labor force participation rate for the population 16 years and over would be 64 percent.

Not in Labor Force – All people 16 years old and over who are not classified as members of the labor force. This category consists mainly of students, housewives, retired workers, seasonal workers interviewed in an off season who were not looking for work, institutionalized people, and people doing only incidental unpaid family work (less than 15 hours during the reference week).

Worker – This term appears in connection with several subjects: employment status, journey-to-work questions, class of worker, weeks worked in the past 12 months, and number of workers in family in the past 12 months. Its meaning varies and, therefore, should be determined in each case by referring to the definition of the subject in which it appears. When used in the concepts “workers in family” and “full-time, year-round workers,” the term “worker” relates to the meaning of work defined for the “work experience” subject.

Limitation of the Data – The data may understate the number of employed people because people who have irregular, casual, or unstructured jobs sometimes report themselves as not working. The number of employed people “at work” is probably overstated in the data (and conversely, the number of employed “with a job, but not at work” is understated) since some people on vacation or sick leave erroneously reported themselves as working. This problem has no effect on the total number of employed people. The reference week for the employment data is not the same for all people. Since people can change their employment status from one week to another, the lack of a uniform reference week may mean that the employment data do not reflect the reality of the employment situation of any given week. (For more information, see the discussion under “Reference Week.”)

Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have employment status distributions that are different from the household population. All institutionalized people are placed in the “not in labor force

40 category.” The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the employment status distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population. For example, in areas having a large state prison population, the employment rate would be expected to decrease because the base of the percentage, which now includes the population in correctional institutions, is larger.

Comparability – Since employment data from the American Community Survey are obtained from respondents in households, they differ from statistics based on reports from individual business establishments, farm enterprises, and certain government programs. People employed at more than one job are counted only once in the American Community Survey and are classified according to the job at which they worked the greatest number of hours during the reference week. In statistics based on reports from business and farm establishments, people who work for more than one establishment may be counted more than once. Moreover, some tabulations may exclude private household workers, unpaid family workers, and self-employed people, but may include workers less than 16 years of age.

An additional difference in the data arises from the fact that people who had a job but were not at work are included with the employed in the American Community Survey statistics, whereas many of these people are likely to be excluded from employment figures based on establishment payroll reports. Furthermore, the employment status data in tabulations include people on the basis of place of residence regardless of where they work, whereas establishment data report people at their place of work regardless of where they live. This latter consideration is particularly significant when comparing data for workers who commute between areas.

For several reasons, the unemployment figures of the Census Bureau are not comparable with published figures on unemployment compensation claims. For example, figures on unemployment compensation claims exclude people who have exhausted their benefit rights, new workers who have not earned rights to unemployment insurance, and people losing jobs not covered by unemployment insurance systems (including some workers in agriculture, domestic services, and religious organizations, and self-employed and unpaid family workers). In addition, the qualifications for drawing unemployment compensation differ from the definition of unemployment used by the Census Bureau. People working only a few hours during the week and people with a job but not at work are sometimes eligible for unemployment compensation but are classified as “Employed” in the American Community Survey. Differences in the geographical distribution of unemployment data arise because the place where claims are filed may not necessarily be the same as the place of residence of the unemployed worker.

For guidance on differences in employment and unemployment estimates from different sources, go to http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/laborfor/laborguidance082504.html.

Question/Concept History –

Worked Last Week (Question 23): Starting in 1999, an italicized instruction was added to the question to help respondents determine what to count as work.

41 On Layoff (Question 29a): Starting in 1999, the “Yes, on temporary layoff from most recent job” and “Yes, permanently laid off from most recent job” response categories were condensed into a single “Yes” category. An additional question (Q29c) was added to determine the temporary/permanent layoff distinction.

Recalled to Work (Question 29c): This question was added in the 1999 American Community Survey to determine if a respondent who reported being on layoff from a job had been informed that he or she would be recalled to work within 6 months or been given a date to return to work.

Available to Work (Question 31): Starting in 1999, the “Yes, if a job had been offered” and “Yes, if recalled from layoff” response categories were condensed into one category, “Yes, could have gone to work.”

Families

See Household Type and Relationship

Fertility

The data on fertility were derived from Question 17, and for the 2003-2007 ACS, from Question 18. The question asked if the person had given birth in the past 12 months, and was asked of all women 15 to 50 years old regardless of marital status.

Data are most frequently presented in terms of the aggregate number of women who had a birth in the past 12 months in the specified category, and in terms of the rate per 1,000 women.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have fertility distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the fertility distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey collected data on “children ever born.” (See the section on “Children Ever Born” for more information.) In 1999, the American Community Survey began collecting data on children born in the last 12 months.

Foreign-Born Population

The foreign-born population includes anyone who was not a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national at birth. This includes respondents who indicated they were a U.S. citizen by naturalization or not a U.S. citizen. See Citizenship Status.

42 Foster Children

See Household Type and Relationship

Grade in Which Enrolled

See School Enrollment and Type of School

Grandparents as Caregivers

Data on grandparents as caregivers were derived from Questions 19a through 19c. Data were collected on whether a grandchild lives with a grandparent in the household, whether the grandparent has responsibility for the basic needs of the grandchild, and the duration of that responsibility.

Existence of a Grandchild in the Household – This was determined by a “Yes” answer to the question, “Does this person have any of his/her own grandchildren under the age of 18 living in this house or apartment?” This question was asked of people 15 years of age and over. Data were then edited to include only responses for those aged 30 and over. People under age 30, by virtue of their young age, were edited as not having any grandchildren.

Responsibility for Basic Needs – This question determines if the grandparent is financially responsible for food, shelter, clothing, day care, etc., for any or all grandchildren living in the household. In selected tabulations, grandparent responsibility is further classified by presence of parent (of the grandchild).

Duration of Responsibility – The answer refers to the grandchild for whom the grandparent has been responsible for the longest period of time. Duration categories ranged from less than 6 months to 5 or more years.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have grandparents as caregivers distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the grandparents as caregivers distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – These questions are included starting in the 1999 American Community Survey. The response categories for length of time caring for grandchildren were modified slightly between the 1999 and 2000 American Community Survey questionnaires to match the 2000 decennial census questionnaire.

Group Quarters (GQ)

See Living Quarters

43 Hispanic or Latino Origin

The data on the Hispanic or Latino population, which was asked of all people, were derived from answers to Question 5. The terms “Spanish,” “Hispanic,” and “Latino” are used interchangeably. Some respondents identify with all three terms, while others may identify with only one of these three specific terms. Hispanics or Latinos who identify with the terms “Spanish,” “Hispanic,” or “Latino” are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the questionnaire – “Mexican,” “Puerto Rican,” or “Cuban” – as well as those who indicate that they are “other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino.” People who do not identify with one of the specific origins listed on the questionnaire but indicate that they are “other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino” are those whose origins are from Spain, the Spanish-speaking countries of Central or South America, the Dominican Republic, or people identifying themselves generally as Spanish, Spanish-American, Hispanic, Hispano, Latino, and so on. All write-in responses to the “other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino” category were coded.

Origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race.

Some tabulations are shown by the origin of the householder. In all cases where the origin of households, families, or occupied housing units is classified as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino, the origin of the householder is used. (For more information, see the discussion of householder under ‘‘Household Type and Relationship.’’)

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have Hispanic or Latino origin distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the Hispanic or Latino origin distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – Since 1999, the American Community Survey question provided an instruction, “Mark (X) the “No” box if not Spanish/Hispanic/Latino.” The 1996-1998 questions did not have this instruction.

Household

See Household Type and Relationship

Household Type and Relationship

Household – A household includes all the people who occupy a housing unit. (People not living in households are classified as living in group quarters.) A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied (or if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live separately from any other people in the building and which have direct access from the outside of the building or through a common hall. The occupants may

44 be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated people who share living arrangements.

Average Household Size – A measure obtained by dividing the number of people in households by the number of households. In cases where people in households are cross- classified by race or Hispanic origin, people in the household are classified by the race or Hispanic origin of the householder rather than the race or Hispanic origin of each individual. Average household size is rounded to the nearest hundredth.

Relationship to Householder

Householder – The data on relationship to householder were derived from answers to Question 3, which was asked of all people in housing units. One person in each household is designated as the householder. In most cases, this is the person, or one of the people, in whose name the home is owned, being bought, or rented and who is listed on line one of the survey questionnaire. If there is no such person in the household, any adult household member 15 years old and over could be designated as the householder.

Households are classified by type according to the sex of the householder and the presence of relatives. Two types of householders are distinguished: a family householder and a non- family householder. A family householder is a householder living with one or more individuals related to him or her by birth, marriage, or adoption. The householder and all people in the household related to him or her are family members. A non-family householder is a householder living alone or with non-relatives only.

Spouse – Includes a person married to and living with a householder who is of the opposite sex of the householder. The category “husband or wife” includes people in formal marriages, as well as people in common-law marriages.

The number of spouses, however, is generally less than the number of “married people with spouse present,” since more than one married couple can live in a household, but only spouses of householders are specifically identified as “spouse.”

Child – Includes a son or daughter by birth, a stepchild, or adopted child of the householder, regardless of the child’s age or marital status. The category excludes sons-in-law, daughters- in-law, and foster children.

Own Child – A never-married child under 18 years who is a son or daughter by birth, a stepchild, or an adopted child of the householder. In certain tabulations, own children are further classified as living with two parents or with one parent only. Own children of the householder living with two parents are by definition found only in married-couple families. (Note: When used in “EMPLOYMENT STATUS” tabulations, own child refers to a never married child under the age of 18 in a family or a subfamily who is a son or daughter, by birth, marriage, or adoption, of a member of the householder’s family, but not necessarily of the householder.)

Related Child – Any child under 18 years old who is related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. Related children of the householder include ever-married as well as

45 never-married children. Children, by definition, exclude persons under 18 years who maintain households or are spouses of householders.

Other Relatives – In tabulations, the category “other relatives” includes any household member related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption, but not included specifically in another relationship category. In certain detailed tabulations, the following categories may be shown:

• Grandchild – The grandson or granddaughter of the householder. • Brother/Sister – The brother or sister of the householder, including stepbrothers, stepsisters, and brothers and sisters by adoption. Brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law are included in the “In-law” category on the questionnaire. • Parent – The father or mother of the householder, including a stepparent or adoptive parent. Fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law are included in the “In-law” category on the questionnaire. • In-law – This category includes brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, mothers-in-law, fathers-in-law, sons-in-law, and daughters-in-law. • Other Relatives – Anyone not listed in a reported category above who is related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption (grandparent, nephew, aunt, cousin, and so forth).

Nonrelatives – This category includes any household member, including foster children, not related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. The following categories may be presented in more detailed tabulations:

• Roomer or Boarder – A roomer or boarder is a person who lives in a room in the household of the householder. Some sort of cash or noncash payment (e.g., chores) is usually made for their living accommodations. • Housemate or Roommate – A housemate or roommate is a person age 15 years and over, who is not related to the householder, and who shares living quarters primarily in order to share expenses. • Unmarried Partner – An unmarried partner is a person age 15 years and over, who is not related to the householder, who shares living quarters, and who has a close personal relationship with the householder. • Foster Child – A foster child is a person who is under 18 years old placed by the local government in a household to receive parental care. Foster children may be living in the household for just a brief period or for several years. Foster children are nonrelatives of the householder. If the foster child is also related to the householder, the child is classified as that specific relative. • Other Nonrelatives – Anyone who is not related by birth, marriage, or adoption to the householder and who is not described by the categories given above.

When relationship is not reported for an individual, it is imputed according to the responses for age, sex, and marital status for that person while maintaining consistency with responses for other individuals in the household.

46 Unrelated Individual – An unrelated individual is: (1) a householder living alone or with nonrelatives only, (2) a household member who is not related to the householder, or (3) a person living in group quarters who is not an inmate of an institution.

Family Type – A family consists of a householder and one or more other people living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. All people in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as members of his or her family. A family household may contain people not related to the householder, but those people are not included as part of the householder’s family in tabulations. Thus, the number of family households is equal to the number of families, but family households may include more members than do families. A household can contain only one family for purposes of tabulations. Not all households contain families since a household may be comprised of a group of unrelated people or of one person living alone – these are called nonfamily households.

Families are classified by type as either a “married-couple family” or “other family” according to the sex of the householder and the presence of relatives. The data on family type are based on answers to questions on sex and relationship that were asked of all people.

• Married-Couple Family – A family in which the householder and his or her spouse are listed as members of the same household. • Other Family: o Male Householder, No Wife Present – A family with a male householder and no spouse of householder present. o Female Householder, No Husband Present – A family with a female householder and no spouse of householder present.

Average Family Size – A measure obtained by dividing the number of people in families by the total number of families (or family householders). In cases where the measures, “people in family” or “people per family” are cross-tabulated by race or Hispanic origin, the race or Hispanic origin refers to the householder rather than the race or Hispanic origin of each individual. Average family size is rounded to the nearest hundredth.

Subfamily – A subfamily is a married couple (husband and wife interviewed as members of the same household) with or without never-married children under 18 years old, or one parent with one or more never-married children under 18 years old. A subfamily does not maintain its own household, but lives in a household where the householder or householder’s spouse is a relative. The number of subfamilies is not included in the count of families, since subfamily members are counted as part of the householder’s family. Subfamilies are defined during processing of data.

In selected tabulations, subfamilies are further classified by type: married-couple subfamilies, with or without own children; mother-child subfamilies; and father-child subfamilies.

In some labor force tabulations, children in both one-parent families and one-parent subfamilies are included in the total number of children living with one parent, while children in both married-couple families and married-couple subfamilies are included in the total number of children living with two parents.

47 Unmarried-Partner Household – An unmarried-partner household is a household other than a “married-couple household” that includes a householder and an “unmarried partner.” An “unmarried partner” can be of the same sex or of the opposite sex as the householder. An “unmarried partner” in an “unmarried-partner household” is an adult who is unrelated to the householder, but shares living quarters and has a close personal relationship with the householder. An unmarried-partner household also may be a family household or a nonfamily household, depending on the presence or absence of another person in the household who is related to the householder. There may be only one unmarried partner per household, and an unmarried partner may not be included in a married-couple household, as the householder cannot have both a spouse and an unmarried partner.

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the question response categories have remained the same.

Household Size

See Household Type and Relationship

Householder

See Household Type and Relationship

Immigrants

See Foreign-Born Population

Income in the Past 12 Months

The data on income were derived from answers to Questions 41 and 42, which were asked of the population 15 years old and over. ‘‘Total income’’ is the sum of the amounts reported separately for wage or salary income; net self-employment income; interest, dividends, or net rental or royalty income or income from estates and trusts; Social Security or railroad retirement income; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); public assistance or welfare payments; retirement, survivor, or disability pensions; and all other income.

Receipts from the following sources are not included as income: capital gains, money received from the sale of property (unless the recipient was engaged in the business of selling such property); the value of income ‘‘in kind’’ from food stamps, public housing subsidies, medical care, employer contributions for individuals, etc.; withdrawal of bank deposits; money borrowed; tax refunds; exchange of money between relatives living in the same household; gifts and lump-sum inheritances, insurance payments, and other types of lump- sum receipts.

Income Type in the Past 12 Months

The eight types of income reported in the American Community Survey are defined as follows:

48 1. Wage or salary income: Wage or salary income includes total money earnings received for work performed as an employee during the past 12 months. It includes wages, salary, armed forces pay, commissions, tips, piece-rate payments, and cash bonuses earned before deductions were made for taxes, bonds, pensions, union dues, etc.

2. Self-employment income: Self-employment income includes both farm and non-farm self-employment income.

Farm self-employment income includes net money income (gross receipts minus operating expenses) from the operation of a farm by a person on his or her own account, as an owner, renter, or sharecropper. Gross receipts include the value of all products sold, government farm programs, money received from the rental of farm equipment to others, and incidental receipts from the sale of wood, sand, gravel, etc. Operating expenses include cost of feed, fertilizer, seed, and other farming supplies, cash wages paid to farmhands, depreciation charges, cash rent, interest on farm mortgages, farm building repairs, farm taxes (not state and federal personal income taxes), etc. The value of fuel, food, or other farm products used for family living is not included as part of net income.

Non-farm self-employment income includes net money income (gross receipts minus expenses) from one’s own business, professional enterprise, or partnership. Gross receipts include the value of all goods sold and services rendered. Expenses include costs of goods purchased, rent, heat, light, power, depreciation charges, wages and salaries paid, business taxes (not personal income taxes), etc.

3. Interest, dividends, or net rental income: Interest, dividends, or net rental income includes interest on savings or bonds, dividends from stockholdings or membership in associations, net income from rental of property to others and receipts from boarders or lodgers, net royalties, and periodic payments from an estate or trust fund.

4. Social Security income: Social Security income includes Social Security pensions and survivor benefits, permanent disability insurance payments made by the Social Security Administration prior to deductions for medical insurance, and railroad retirement insurance checks from the U.S. government. Medicare reimbursements are not included.

5. Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a nationwide U.S. assistance program administered by the Social Security Administration that guarantees a minimum level of income for needy aged, blind, or disabled individuals. The Puerto Rico Community Survey questionnaire asks about the receipt of SSI; however, SSI is not a federally-administered program in Puerto Rico. Therefore, it is probably not being interpreted by most respondents in the same manner as SSI in the United States. The only way a resident of Puerto Rico could have appropriately reported SSI would have been if they lived in the United States at any time during the past 12-month reference period and received SSI.

6. Public assistance income: Public assistance income includes general assistance and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Separate payments received for hospital or other medical care, (vendor payments) are excluded. This does not include Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or noncash benefits such as Food Stamps. The terms “public

49 assistance income” and “cash public assistance” are used interchangeably in the 2007 ACS data products.

7. Retirement, survivor, or disability income: Retirement income includes: (1) retirement pensions and survivor benefits from a former employer; labor union; or federal, state, or local government; and the U.S. military; (2) disability income from companies or unions; federal, state, or local government; and the U.S. military; (3) periodic receipts from annuities and insurance; and (4) regular income from IRA and Keogh plans. This does not include Social Security income.

8. All other income: All other income includes unemployment compensation, Veterans’ Administration (VA) payments, alimony and child support, contributions received periodically from people not living in the household, military family allotments, and other kinds of periodic income other than earnings.

Cash Public Assistance – See “Public assistance income.”

Income of Households – This includes the income of the householder and all other individuals 15 years old and over in the household, whether they are related to the householder or not. Because many households consist of only one person, average household income is usually less than average family income. Although the household income statistics cover the past 12 months, the characteristics of individuals and the composition of households refer to the time of interview. Thus, the income of the household does not include amounts received by individuals who were members of the household during all or part of the past 12 months if these individuals no longer resided in the household at the time of interview. Similarly, income amounts reported by individuals who did not reside in the household during the past 12 months but who were members of the household at the time of interview are included. However, the composition of most households was the same during the past 12 months as at the time of interview.

Income of Families – In compiling statistics on family income, the incomes of all members 15 years old and over related to the householder are summed and treated as a single amount. Although the family income statistics cover the past 12 months, the characteristics of individuals and the composition of families refer to the time of interview. Thus, the income of the family does not include amounts received by individuals who were members of the family during all or part of the past 12 months if these individuals no longer resided with the family at the time of interview. Similarly, income amounts reported by individuals who did not reside with the family during the past 12 months but who were members of the family at the time of interview are included. However, the composition of most families was the same during the past 12 months as at the time of interview.

Income of Individuals – Income for individuals is obtained by summing the eight types of income for each person 15 years old and over. The characteristics of individuals are based on the time of interview even though the amounts are for the past 12 months.

Median Income – The median divides the income distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median income and one-half above the median. For households and families, the median income is based on the distribution of the total number of

50 households and families including those with no income. The median income for individuals is based on individuals 15 years old and over with income. Median income for households, families, and individuals is computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) Median income is rounded to the nearest whole dollar. Median income figures are calculated using linear interpolation if the width of the interval containing the estimate is $2,500 or less. If the width of the interval containing the estimate is greater than $2,500, Pareto interpolation is used. (For more information on medians and interpolation, see “Derived Measures.”)

Aggregate Income – Aggregate income is the sum of all incomes for a particular universe. Aggregate income is subject to rounding, which means that all cells in a matrix are rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. (For more information, see “Aggregate” under “Derived Measures.”)

Mean Income – Mean income is the amount obtained by dividing the aggregate income of a particular statistical universe by the number of units in that universe. For example, mean household income is obtained by dividing total household income by the total number of households. (The aggregate used to calculate mean income is rounded. For more information, see ‘‘Aggregate income.’’)

For the various types of income, the means are based on households having those types of income. For household income and family income, the mean is based on the distribution of the total number of households and families including those with no income. The mean income for individuals is based on individuals 15 years old and over with income. Mean income is rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

Care should be exercised in using and interpreting mean income values for small subgroups of the population. Because the mean is influenced strongly by extreme values in the distribution, it is especially susceptible to the effects of sampling variability, misreporting, and processing errors. The median, which is not affected by extreme values, is, therefore, a better measure than the mean when the population base is small. The mean, nevertheless, is shown in some data products for most small subgroups because, when weighted according to the number of cases, the means can be computed for areas and groups other than those shown in Census Bureau tabulations. (For more information on means, see “Derived Measures.”)

Income Quintile Upper Limits – Negative incomes are converted to zero for these measures. These measures are the quintile cutoffs, along with the 95th percentile of the distribution. (For more information on quintiles, see “Derived Measures.”)

Means of Household Income by Quintiles – Means of household income by quintiles are calculated by dividing aggregate household income in each quintile by the number of households in each quintile (one-fifth of the total number of households). (For more information on aggregates, see “Aggregate Income.” For more information on quintiles, see “Derived Measures.”)

Shares of Household Income by Quintiles – Negative incomes are converted to zero for these measures. These measures are the aggregate household income in each quintile as a

51 percentage of the total aggregate household income. (For more information on aggregates, see “Aggregate income.” For more information on quintiles, see “Derived Measures.”)

Gini Index of Income Inequality – Negative incomes are converted to zero. The Gini index of income inequality measures the dispersion of the household income distribution. (For more information on the Gini index, see “Derived Measures.”)

Earnings – Earnings are defined as the sum of wage or salary income and net income from self-employment. ‘‘Earnings’’ represent the amount of income received regularly for people 16 years old and over before deductions for personal income taxes, Social Security, bond purchases, union dues, Medicare deductions, etc. An individual with earnings is one who has either wage/salary income or self-employment income, or both. Respondents who “break even” in self-employment income and therefore have zero self-employment earnings also are considered “individuals with earnings”

Median Earnings – The median divides the earnings distribution into two equal parts: one- half of the cases falling below the median and one-half above the median. Median earnings is restricted to individuals 16 years old and over with earnings and is computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the “Standard Distributions” section under “Derived Measures.”) Median earnings figures are calculated using linear interpolation if the width of the interval containing the estimate is $2,500 or less. If the width of the interval containing the estimate is greater than $2,500, Pareto interpolation is used. (For more information on medians and interpolation, see “Derived Measures.”)

Aggregate Earnings – Aggregate earnings are the sum of wage/salary and net self- employment income for a particular universe of people 16 years old and over. Aggregate earnings are rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. (For more information, see “Aggregate” under “Derived Measures.”)

Mean Earnings – Mean earnings is calculated by dividing aggregate earnings by the population 16 years old and over with earnings. (The aggregate used to calculate mean earnings is rounded. For more information, see ‘‘Aggregate earnings.’’) Mean earnings is rounded to the nearest whole dollar. (For more information on means, see “Derived Measures.”)

Women’s Earnings as a Percentage of Men’s Earnings – Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings is defined as median earnings for females who worked full- time, year-round divided by median earnings for males who worked full-time, year-round, multiplied by 100. (For more information see “full-time, year-round workers” under “Usual hours worked per weeks worked in the past 12 months” and “Median earnings.”)

Per Capita Income – Per capita income is the mean income computed for every man, woman, and child in a particular group including those living in group quarters. It is derived by dividing the aggregate income of a particular group by the total population in that group. (The aggregate used to calculate per capita income is rounded. For more information, see “Aggregate” under “Derived Measures.”) Per capita income is rounded to the nearest whole dollar. (For more information on means, see “Derived Measures.”)

52 Adjusting Income for Inflation – Income components were reported for the 12 months preceding the interview month. Monthly Consumer Price Indices (CPI) factors were used to inflation-adjust these components to a reference calendar year (January through December). For example, a household interviewed in March 2007 reports their income for March 2006 through February 2007. Their income is adjusted to the 2007 reference calendar year by multiplying their reported income by 2007 average annual CPI (January-December 2007) and then dividing by the average CPI for March 2006-February 2007.

In order to inflate income amounts from previous years, the dollar values on individual records are inflated to the latest year’s dollar values by multiplying by a factor equal to the average annual CPI-U-RS factor for the current year, divided by the average annual CPI-U- RS factor for the earlier/earliest year.

Limitation of the Data – Since answers to income questions are frequently based on memory and not on records, many people tend to forget minor or sporadic sources of income and, therefore, underreport their income. Underreporting tends to be more pronounced for income sources that are not derived from earnings, such as public assistance, interest, dividends, and net rental income.

Extensive computer editing procedures were instituted in the data processing operation to reduce some of these reporting errors and to improve the accuracy of the income data. These procedures corrected various reporting deficiencies and improved the consistency of reported income questions associated with work experience and information on occupation and class of worker. For example, if people reported they were self employed on their own farm, not incorporated, but had reported only wage and salary earnings, the latter amount was shifted to self-employment income. Also, if any respondent reported total income only, the amount was generally assigned to one of the types of income questions according to responses to the work experience and class-of-worker questions. Another type of problem involved non-reporting of income data. Where income information was not reported, procedures were devised to impute appropriate values with either no income or positive or negative dollar amounts for the missing entries. (For more information on imputation, see “Accuracy of the Data.”)

In income tabulations for households and families, the lowest income group (for example, less than $10,000) includes units that were classified as having no income in the past 12 months. Many of these were living on income “in kind,” savings, or gifts, were newly created families, or were families in which the sole breadwinner had recently died or left the household. However, many of the households and families who reported no income probably had some money income that was not reported in the American Community Survey.

Users should exercise caution when comparing income and earnings estimates for individuals from the 2006 or 2007 ACS to earlier years because of the introduction of group quarters. Household and family income estimates are not affected by the inclusion of group quarters.

Comparability – The income data shown in ACS tabulations are not directly comparable with those that may be obtained from statistical summaries of income tax returns. Income, as defined for federal tax purposes, differs somewhat from the Census Bureau concept. Moreover, the coverage of income tax statistics is different because of the exemptions for people having small amounts of income and the inclusion of net capital gains in tax returns.

53 Furthermore, members of some families file separate returns and others file joint returns; consequently, the tax reporting unit is not consistent with the census household, family, or person units.

The earnings data shown in ACS tabulations are not directly comparable with earnings records of the Social Security Administration (SSA). The earnings record data for SSA excludes the earnings of some civilian government employees, some employees of nonprofit organizations, workers covered by the Railroad Retirement Act, and people not covered by the program because of insufficient earnings. Because ACS data are obtained from household questionnaires, they may differ from SSA earnings record data, which are based upon employers’ reports and the federal income tax returns of self-employed people.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) publishes annual data on aggregate and per-capita personal income received by the population for states, metropolitan areas, and selected counties. Aggregate income estimates based on the income statistics shown in ACS products usually would be less than those shown in the BEA income series for several reasons. The ACS data are obtained from a household survey, whereas the BEA income series is estimated largely on the basis of data from administrative records of business and governmental sources. Moreover, the definitions of income are different. The BEA income series includes some questions not included in the income data shown in ACS publications, such as income “in kind,” income received by nonprofit institutions, the value of services of banks and other financial intermediaries rendered to people without the assessment of specific charges, and Medicare payments. On the other hand, the ACS income data include contributions for support received from people not residing in the same household if the income is received on a regular basis.

In comparing income for the most recent year with income from earlier years, users should note that an increase or decrease in money income does not necessarily represent a comparable change in real income, unless adjusted for inflation.

Question/Concept History – The 1998 ACS questionnaire deleted references to Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) because of welfare law reforms.

In 1999, the ACS questions were changed to be consistent with the questions for the Census 2000. The instructions are slightly different to reflect differences in the reference periods. The ACS asks about the past 12 months, and the questions for the decennial census ask about the previous calendar year.

Industry, Occupation, and Class of Worker

The data on industry, occupation, and class of worker were derived from answers to Questions 35 through 40. These questions were asked of all people 15 years old and over who had worked in the past 5 years. Information on industry relates to the kind of business conducted by a person’s employing organization; occupation describes the kind of work the person does on the job; and class of worker categorizes people according to the type of ownership of the employing organization.

54 For employed people, the data refer to the person’s job during the previous week. For those who worked two or more jobs, the data refer to the job where the person worked the greatest number of hours. For unemployed people, the data refer to their last job. The industry and occupation statistics are compiled from data that are coded based on the detailed classification systems developed for Census 2000 and modified in 2002. The class of worker statistics are derived from data coded the same as in previous censuses.

Respondents provided the data for the tabulations by writing on the questionnaires descriptions of their kind of business or industry and the kind of work or occupation they are doing. A clerical staff in the National Processing Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana, converted the written questionnaire descriptions to codes by comparing these descriptions to entries in the Alphabetical Index of Industries and Occupations.

Industry – The data on industry were derived from answers to Questions 36 through 38. Written responses to the industry questions are coded using the industry classification system developed for Census 2000 and modified in 2002. This system consists of 270 categories for employed people, including military, classified into 20 sectors. The modified 2002 census industry classification was developed from the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) published by the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget. The NAICS was developed to increase comparability in industry definitions between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It provides industry classifications that group establishments into industries based on the activities in which they are primarily engaged. The NAICS was created for establishment designations and provides detail about the smallest operating establishment, while the American Community Survey data are collected from households and differ in detail and nature from those obtained from establishment surveys. Because of disclosure issues, ACS data cannot be released in great detail, and the industry classification system, while defined in NAICS terms, cannot reflect the full detail for all categories.

The industry category, “Public administration,” is limited to regular government functions such as legislative, judicial, administrative, and regulatory activities. Other government organizations such as public schools, public hospitals, liquor stores, and bus lines are classified by industry according to the activity in which they are engaged.

Occupation – The data on occupation were derived from answers to Questions 39 and 40. Written responses to the occupation questions are coded using the occupational classification system developed for the 2000 census and modified in 2002. This system consists of 509 specific occupational categories, including military, for employed people, arranged into 23 major occupational groups. This classification was developed based on the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Manual: 2000, published by the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget. Some occupation groups are related closely to certain industries. Operators of transportation equipment, farm operators and workers, and healthcare providers account for major portions of their respective industries of transportation, agriculture, and health care. However, the industry categories include people in other occupations. For example, people employed in agriculture include truck drivers and bookkeepers; people employed in the transportation industry include mechanics, freight handlers, and payroll clerks; and people employed in the health care profession include janitors, security guards, and secretaries.

55 Class of Worker – The data on class of worker were derived from answers to Question 35. The information on class of worker refers to the same job as a respondent's industry and occupation and categorizes people according to the type of ownership of the employing organization. The class of worker categories are defined as follows:

Private wage and salary workers – Includes people who worked for wages, salary, commission, tips, pay-in-kind, or piece rates for a private for-profit employer or a private not-for-profit, tax-exempt or charitable organization. Self-employed people whose business was incorporated are included with private wage and salary workers because they are paid employees of their own companies.

ACS tabulations present data separately for these subcategories: “Private for- profit wage and salary workers,” “Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers,” “Self-employed in own incorporated business workers,” and “Own not incorporated business workers.”

Government workers – Includes people who were employees of any local, state, or federal governmental unit, regardless of the activity of the particular agency. For ACS tabulations, the data were presented separately for the three levels of government.

Employees of foreign governments, the United Nations, or other formal international organizations controlled by governments were classified as “federal government workers.”

The class of worker government categories includes all government workers, though government workers may work in different industries. For example, people who work in a public elementary or secondary school are coded as local government class of workers.

Self-employed in own not incorporated business workers – Includes people who worked for profit or fees in their own unincorporated business, profession, or trade, or who operated a farm.

Unpaid family workers – Includes people who worked 15 hours or more a week without pay in a business or on a farm operated by a relative.

Following the coding operation, a computer edit and allocation process excludes all responses that should not be included in the universe, and evaluates the consistency of the remaining responses. The codes for the three questions (industry, occupation, and class of worker) are then checked to ensure they are valid and consistent with the other codes returned for that respondent. Occasionally respondents supplied industry, occupation, or class of worker descriptions that were not sufficiently specific for precise classification, or they did not report on these questions at all. Certain types of incomplete entries were corrected using the Alphabetical Index of Industries and Occupations.

56 If one or more of the three codes was blank after the edit, a code was assigned from a donor respondent who was a “similar” person based on questions such as age, sex, education, and weeks worked. If all of the labor force and income data were blank, all of these economic questions were assigned from a “similar” person who had provided all the necessary data.

Comparability – Comparability of industry and occupation data was affected by a number of factors, primarily the systems used to classify the questionnaire responses. In both the industry and occupation classification systems, changes in the individual categories limit comparability of the data from one year to another. These changes are needed to recognize the “birth” of new industries and occupations, the “death” of others, the growth and decline in existing industries and occupations, and the desire of analysts and other users for more detail in the presentation of the data. Probably the greatest cause of noncomparability is the movement of a segment from one category to another. Changes in the nature of jobs and respondent terminology and refinement of category composition made these movements necessary.

Data for the 1998 and 1999 ACS used the same industry and occupation classification systems used for the 1990 census; therefore, the data are comparable. Because of major changes to the industry and occupation classification systems in 1998, the 2000-2002 ACS data are comparable to the Census 2000 data and not to previous ACS data. In ACS, as in Census 2000, both the industry and occupation classifications had major revisions to reflect the shift from the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the changes within the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). In 2002, NAICS underwent another change and the industry codes were changed accordingly. Because of the possibility of new industries and occupations being added to the list of codes, the Census Bureau needed to have more flexibility in adding codes. Consequently, in 2002, both industry and occupation census codes were expanded from three-digit codes to four-digit codes. The changes to these code classifications mean that the ACS data from 2003-present are not completely comparable to the data from earlier surveys.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have industry, occupation, and class of worker distributions that are very different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the industry, occupation, and class of worker distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – The American Community Survey questions on industry, occupation, and class of worker were changed to match the Census 2000 questions, beginning with the 1999 ACS questionnaire. The 1996-1998 ACS “Class of Worker” question had an additional response category for “Active duty U.S. Armed Forces member.” People who marked this category were tabulated as federal government workers. To capture these respondents, a check box was added to Industry question 36 in 1999. This check box is to be marked by anyone “now on active duty in the Armed Forces….” This information is used by the industry and occupation coders to assist in assigning proper industry codes for active duty military.

57 Journey to Work

Place of Work – The data on place of work were derived from answers to Question 24, which was asked of people who indicated in Question 23 that they worked at some time during the reference week. (See “Reference Week.”)

Data were tabulated for workers 16 years old and over, that is, members of the Armed Forces and civilians who were at work during the reference week. Data on place of work refer to the geographic location at which workers carried out their occupational activities during the reference week. In the American Community Survey, the exact address (number and street name) of the place of work was asked, as well as the place (city, town, or post office); whether the place of work was inside or outside the limits of that city or town; and the county, state or foreign country, and ZIP Code. In the Puerto Rico Community Survey, the question asked for the exact address, including the development or condominium name, as well as the place; whether or not the place of work was inside or outside the limits of that city or town; the municipio or U.S. county. Respondents also were asked to “enter Puerto Rico or name of U.S. state or foreign country” and the ZIP Code. If the respondent's employer operated in more than one location, the exact address of the location or branch where he or she worked was requested. When the number and street name were unknown, a description of the location, such as the building name or nearest street or intersection, was to be entered. People who worked at more than one location during the reference week were asked to report the location at which they worked the greatest number of hours. People who regularly worked in several locations each day during the reference week were requested to give the address at which they began work each day. For cases in which daily work did not begin at a central place each day, the respondent was asked to provide as much information as possible to describe the area in which he or she worked most during the reference week.

Place-of-work data may show a few workers who made unlikely daily work trips (e.g., workers who lived in New York and worked in California). This result is attributable to people who worked during the reference week at a location that was different from their usual place of work, such as people away from home on business.

In areas where the workplace address was geographically coded to the block level, people were tabulated as working inside or outside a specific place based on the location of that address regardless of the response to Question 24c concerning city/town limits. In areas where it was impossible to code the workplace address to the block level, or the coding system was unable to match the employer name and street address responses, people were tabulated as working inside or outside a specific place based on the combination of state, county, ZIP Code, place name, and city limits indicator. The city limits indicator was used only in coding decisions when there were multiple geographic codes to select from, after matching on the state, county, place, and ZIP Code responses. The accuracy of place-of- work data for census designated places (CDPs) may be affected by the extent to which their census names were familiar to respondents, and by coding problems caused by similarities between the CDP name and the names of other geographic jurisdictions in the same vicinity.

Place-of-work data are given for selected minor civil divisions (MCDs), (generally cities, towns, and townships) in the 12 strong MCD states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,

58 Vermont, and Wisconsin), based on the responses to the place of work question. Many towns and townships are regarded locally as equivalent to a place, and therefore, were reported as the place of work. When a respondent reported a locality or incorporated place that formed a part of a township or town, the coding and tabulating procedure was designed to include the response in the total for the township or town.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the group quarters (GQ) population is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have place of work distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the place of work distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Workplace-based Geography – The characteristics of workers may be shown using either residence-based or workplace-based geography. If you are interested in the number and characteristics of workers living in a specific area, you should use the standard (residence- based) journey-to-work tables. If you are interested in the number and characteristics of workers who work in a specific area, you should use the workplace-based journey-to-work tables. Because place-of-work information for workers cannot always be specified below the place level, the workplace-based tables are presented only for selected geographic areas.

Limitation of the Data – The data on place of work is related to a reference week, that is, the calendar week preceding the date on which the respondents completed their questionnaires or were interviewed. This week is not the same for all respondents because data were collected over a 12-month period. The lack of a uniform reference week means that the place-of-work data reported in the survey will not exactly match the distribution of workplace locations observed or measured during an actual workweek.

The place-of-work data are estimates of people 16 years and over who were both employed and at work during the reference week (including people in the Armed Forces). People who did not work during the reference week but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, industrial dispute, vacation, or other personal reasons are not included in the place-of-work data. Therefore, the data on place of work understate the total number of jobs or total employment in a geographic area during the reference week. It also should be noted that people who had irregular, casual, or unstructured jobs during the reference week might have erroneously reported themselves as not working.

The address where the individual worked most often during the reference week was recorded on the questionnaire. If a worker held two jobs, only data about the primary job (the job where one worked the greatest number of hours during the preceding week) was requested. People who regularly worked in several locations during the reference week were requested to give the address at which they began work each day. For cases in which daily work was not begun at a central place each day, the respondent was asked to provide as much information as possible to describe the area in which he or she worked most during the reference week.

Since both the American Community Survey and the decennial censuses are related to a “reference week” that has some variability, the data do not reflect any single week. Since the

59 American Community Survey data are collected over 12 months, the reference week in American Community Survey has a greater range of variation. (See “Reference Week.”)

Question/Concept History – Starting in 1999, the American Community Survey questions differ from the 1996-1998 questions in that the labels on the write-in spaces were modified to provide clarifications.

The 2004 American Community Survey marked the first time that workplace-based tables were released as a part of a standard census data product.

Means of Transportation to Work – The data on means of transportation to work were derived from answers to Question 25, which was asked of people who indicated in Question 23 that they worked at some time during the reference week. (See “Reference Week.”) Means of transportation to work refers to the principal mode of travel or type of conveyance that the worker usually used to get from home to work during the reference week.

People who used different means of transportation on different days of the week were asked to specify the one they used most often, that is, the greatest number of days. People who used more than one means of transportation to get to work each day were asked to report the one used for the longest distance during the work trip. The category, “Car, truck, or van,” includes workers using a car (including company cars but excluding taxicabs), a truck of one- ton capacity or less, or a van. The category, “Public transportation,” includes workers who used a bus or trolley bus, streetcar or trolley car, subway or elevated, railroad, or ferryboat, even if each mode is not shown separately in the tabulation. “Carro público” is included in the public transportation category in Puerto Rico. The category, “Other means,” includes workers who used a mode of travel that is not identified separately within the data distribution. The category, “Other means,” may vary from table to table, depending on the amount of detail shown in a particular distribution.

The means of transportation data for some areas may show workers using modes of public transportation that are not available in those areas (for example, subway or elevated riders in a metropolitan area where there is no subway or elevated service). This result is largely due to people who worked during the reference week at a location that was different from their usual place of work (such as people away from home on business in an area where subway service was available), and people who used more than one means of transportation each day but whose principal means was unavailable where they lived (for example, residents of nonmetropolitan areas who drove to the fringe of a metropolitan area, and took the commuter railroad most of the distance to work).

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the group quarters (GQ) population is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have means of transportation distributions that are very different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the means of transportation to work distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – Beginning in 1999, the American Community Survey questions differ from the 1996-1998 questions only in the format of the skip instructions. Beginning in

60 2004, the category, “Public transportation” was tabulated to exclude workers who used taxicab as their means of transportation.

Private Vehicle Occupancy – The data on private vehicle occupancy were derived from answers to Question 26. This question was asked of people who indicated in Question 23 that they worked at some time during the reference week and who reported in Question 25 that their means of transportation to work was “Car, truck, or van.” Data were tabulated for workers 16 years old and over, that is, members of the Armed Forces and civilians who were at work during the reference week. (See “Reference Week.”)

Private vehicle occupancy refers to the number of people who usually rode to work in the vehicle during the reference week. The category, “Drove alone,” includes people who usually drove alone to work as well as people who were driven to work by someone who then drove back home or to a non-work destination. The category, “Carpooled,” includes workers who reported that two or more people usually rode to work in the vehicle during the reference week.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the Group Quarters (GQ) population is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have private vehicle occupancy distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the private vehicle occupancy distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – Beginning in 1999, the American Community Survey questions differ from the 1996-1998 questions only in the format of the skip instructions.

Workers Per Car, Truck, or Van – Workers per car, truck, or van is a ratio obtained by dividing the aggregate number of workers who reported using a car, truck, or van to get to work by the number of such vehicles that they used. Workers per car, truck, or van is rounded to the nearest hundredth. This measure also may be known as “Workers per private vehicle.”

Aggregate Number of Vehicles (Car, Truck, or Van) Used in Commuting – The aggregate number of vehicles used in commuting is derived by counting each person who drove alone as occupying one vehicle, each person who reported being in a two-person carpool as occupying one-half of a vehicle, each person who reported being in a three-person carpool as occupying one-third of a vehicle, and so on, then summing all the vehicles. This aggregate is used in the calculation for “workers per car, truck, or van.”

Question/Concept History – Beginning in 1999, the American Community Survey questions differ from the 1996-1998 questions only in the format of the skip instructions.

Time Leaving Home to Go to Work – The data on time leaving home to go to work were derived from answers to Question 27. This question was asked of people who indicated in Question 23 that they worked at some time during the reference week, and who reported in Question 25 that they worked outside their home. The departure time refers to the time of day that the respondent usually left home to go to work during the reference week. (See “Reference Week.”)

61 Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the group quarters (GQ) population is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have departure time distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the departure time distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – Beginning in 1999, the American Community Survey questions differ from the 1996-1998 questions only in the format of the skip instructions.

Travel Time to Work – The data on travel time to work were derived from answers to Question 28. This question was asked of people who indicated in Question 23 that they worked at some time during the reference week, and who reported in Question 25 that they worked outside their home. Travel time to work refers to the total number of minutes that it usually took the worker to get from home to work during the reference week. The elapsed time includes time spent waiting for public transportation, picking up passengers in carpools, and time spent in other activities related to getting to work. (See “Reference Week.”)

Aggregate Travel Time to Work (in Minutes) – Aggregate travel time to work is calculated by adding all of the travel times (in minutes) for workers who did not work at home. Aggregate travel times of workers having specific characteristics also are computed. The aggregate travel time is subject to rounding, which means that all cells in a matrix are rounded to the nearest 5 minutes. (For more information, see “Aggregate” under “Derived Measures.”)

Mean Travel Time to Work (in Minutes) – Mean travel time to work (in minutes) is the average travel time that workers usually took to get from home to work (one way) during the reference week. This measure is obtained by dividing the total number of minutes taken to get from home to work (the aggregate travel time) by the number of workers 16 years old and over who did not work at home. The travel time includes time spent waiting for public transportation, picking up passengers and carpools, and time spent in other activities related to getting to work. Mean travel times of workers having specific characteristics also are computed. For example, the mean travel time of workers traveling 45 or more minutes to work is computed by dividing the aggregate travel time of workers whose travel times were 45 or more minutes by the number of workers whose travel times were 45 or more minutes. The aggregate travel time to work used to calculate mean travel time to work is rounded. (For more information, see “Aggregate Travel Time to Work (in Minutes).”) Mean travel time is rounded to the nearest tenth of a minute. (For more information on means, see “Derived Measures.”)

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the group quarters (GQ) population is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have travel time distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the travel time distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – Beginning in 1999, the American Community Survey questions differ from the 1996-1998 questions only in the format of the skip instructions.

62 Time Arriving at Work from Home – The data on time arriving at work from home were derived from answers to Question 27 (Time Leaving Home to Go to Work) and from answers to Question 28 (Travel Time to Work). These questions were asked of people who indicated in Question 23 that they worked at some time during the reference week, and who reported in Question 25 that they worked outside their home. The arrival time is calculated by adding the travel time to work to the reported time leaving home to go to work. These data are presented with other characteristics of workers at their workplace. (See “Time Leaving Home to Go to Work” and “Travel Time to Work.”)

Labor Force Status

See Employment Status

Language Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English

Language Spoken at Home – Data on language spoken at home were derived from answers to the 2007 American Community Survey Questions 13a and 13b. These questions were asked only of persons 5 years of age and older. Instructions mailed with the American Community Survey questionnaire instructed respondents to mark “Yes” on Question 13a if they sometimes or always spoke a language other than English at home, and “No” if a language was spoken only at school – or if speaking was limited to a few expressions or slang. For Question 13b, respondents printed the name of the non-English language they spoke at home. If the person spoke more than one non-English language, they reported the language spoken most often. If the language spoken most frequently could not be determined, the respondent reported the language learned first.

Questions 13a and 13b referred to languages spoken at home in an effort to measure the current use of languages other than English. This category excluded respondents who spoke a language other than English exclusively outside of the home.

Most respondents who reported speaking a language other than English also spoke English. The questions did not permit a determination of the primary language of persons who spoke both English and another language.

An automated computer system coded write-in responses to Question 13b into more than 380 detailed language categories. This automated procedure compared write-in responses with a master computer code list – which contained approximately 55,000 previously coded language names and variants – and then assigned a detailed language category to each write- in response. The computerized matching assured that identical alphabetic entries received the same code. Clerical coding categorized any write-in responses that did not match the computer dictionary. When multiple languages other than English were specified, only the first was coded.

The write-in responses represented the names people used for languages they spoke. They may not have matched the names or categories used by professional linguists. The categories used were sometimes geographic and sometimes linguistic. The following table provides an illustration of the content of the classification schemes used to present language data.

63 Four and Thirty-Nine Group Classifications of Languages Spoken at Home with Illustrative Examples

Four-Group Thirty-nine Group Examples Classification Classification Spanish Spanish or Spanish Creole Spanish, Ladino, Pachuco Other Indo-European French French, Cajun, Patois languages French Creole Haitian Creole Italian Italian Portuguese or Portuguese Portuguese, Papia Mentae Creole German German, Luxembourgian Yiddish Yiddish Dutch, Pennsylvania Dutch, Other West Germanic languages Afrikaans Scandinavian languages Danish, Norwegian, Swedish Greek Greek Russian Russian Polish Polish Serbo-Croatian, Croatian, Serbo-Croatian Serbian Other Slavic languages Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian Armenian Armenian Persian Persian Gujarathi Gujarathi Hindi Hindi Urdu Urdu Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Other Indic languages Romany Albanian, Gaelic, Lithuanian, Other Indo-European languages Rumanian Asian and Pacific Island Cantonese, Formosan, Chinese languages Mandarin Japanese Japanese Korean Korean Mon-Khmer, Cambodian Mon-Khmer, Cambodian Hmong Hmong Thai Thai

64 Laotian Laotian Vietnamese Vietnamese Dravidian languages Other Asian languages (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil), Turkish Tagalog Tagalog Chamorro, Hawaiian, Other Pacific Island languages Ilocano, Indonesian, Samoan All other languages Navajo Navajo Other Native North American Apache, Cherokee, Dakota,

languages Pima, Yupik Hungarian Hungarian Arabic Arabic Hebrew Hebrew Amharic, Ibo, Twi, Yoruba, African languages Bantu, Swahili, Somali Syriac, Finnish, Other Other and unspecified languages of the Americas, languages not reported

Household Language – In households where one or more people spoke a language other than English, the household language assigned to all household members was the non- English language spoken by the first person with a non-English language. This assignment scheme ranked household members in the following order: householder, spouse, parent, sibling, child, grandchild, other relative, stepchild, unmarried partner, housemate or roommate, and other nonrelatives. Therefore, a person who spoke only English may have had a non-English household language assigned during tabulations by household language.

Ability to Speak English – Respondents who reported speaking a language other than English were asked to indicate their English ability based on one of the following categories: “Very well,” “Well,” “Not well,” or “Not at all.” Ideally, the data on ability to speak English represented a person’s perception of their own ability. However, because one household member usually completes American Community Survey questionnaires, the responses may have represented the perception of another household member. Respondents were not instructed on how to interpret the response categories in Question 13c.

Linguistic Isolation – A linguistically isolated household was one in which all adults had some limitation in communicating English. A household was classified as “linguistically isolated” if, 1.) No household member age 14 years and over spoke only English, and 2.) No household member age 14 years and over who spoke another language spoke English “Very well.” All members of a linguistically isolated household were tabulated as linguistically isolated, including members under 14 years old who may have spoke only English.

65 Limitation of the Data– The language question is about current use of a non-English language, not about ability to speak another language or the use of such a language in the past. People who speak a language other than English outside of the home are not reported as speaking a language other than English. Similarly, people whose mother tongue is a non- English language but who do not currently use the language at home do not report the language. Some people who speak a language other than English at home may have first learned that language in school. These people are expected to indicate speaking English “Very well.”

The detail in which language names are coded may give a false impression of the linguistic precision of these data. The identifying names used by speakers of a language may reflect ethnic, geographic, or political affiliations, and are not necessarily identical to official linguistic distinctions.

Although there are more than 6,000 languages in the world, the Census Bureau codes all reported languages into approximately 380 categories.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have ability to speak English and language spoken at home distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the ability to speak English and language spoken at home distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History– The minor changes in specific codes starting in 1999 do not affect the tabulations of languages. The list of examples was moved below the write-in 1999; in the 1996-1998 ACS questionnaires, it was directly after the question.

Marital Status

The data on marital status were derived from answers to Question 4. The marital status classification refers to the status at the time of interview. Data on marital status are tabulated only for people 15 years old and over.

All people were asked whether they were “now married,” “widowed,” “divorced,” “separated,” or “never married.” Couples who live together (unmarried people, people in common-law marriages) were allowed to report the marital status they considered the most appropriate. When marital status was not reported, it was imputed according to the relationship to the householder and sex and age of the person.

Differences in the number of currently married males and females occur because there is no step in the weighting process to equalize the weighted estimates of husbands and wives.

Never Married – Includes all people who have never been married, including people whose only marriage(s) was annulled.

Ever Married – Includes people ever married at the time of interview (including those now married, separated, widowed, or divorced).

66 Now Married, Except Separated – Includes people whose current marriage has not ended through widowhood, divorce, or separation (regardless of previous marital history). The category may also include couples who live together or people in common-law marriages if they consider this category the most appropriate. In certain tabulations, currently married people are further classified as “spouse present” or “spouse absent.”

Separated – Includes people legally separated or otherwise absent from their spouse because of marital discord. This category also includes people who have been deserted or who have parted because they no longer want to live together but who have not obtained a divorce.

Widowed – Includes widows and widowers who have not remarried.

Divorced – Includes people who are legally divorced and who have not remarried.

In selected tabulations, data for married and separated people are reorganized and combined with information on the presence of the spouse in the same household.

Now Married – All people whose current marriage has not ended by widowhood or divorce. This category includes people defined above as “separated.”

• Spouse Present – Married people whose wife or husband was reported as a member of the same household or same group quarters facility, including those whose spouses may have been temporarily absent for such reasons as travel or hospitalization. • Spouse Absent – Married people whose wife or husband was not reported as a member of the same household or the same group quarters facility. o Separated – Defined above. o Spouse Absent, Other – Married people whose wife or husband was not reported as a member of the same household, excluding separated. Included is any person whose spouse was employed and living away from home or in an institution or serving away from home in the armed forces.

Differences between the number of currently married males and the number of currently married females occur because of reporting differences and because some husbands and wives have their usual residence in different areas. By definition, the numbers would be the same.

Median Age at First Marriage – The median age at first marriage is calculated indirectly by estimating the proportion of young people who will marry during their lifetime, calculating one-half of this proportion, and determining the age (at the time of the survey) of people at this half-way mark by osculatory interpolation. It does not represent the actual median age of the population who married during the calendar year. It is shown to the nearest tenth of a year. Henry S. Shryock and Jacob S. Siegel outline the osculatory procedure in Methods and Materials of Demography, First Edition (May 1973), Volume 1, pages 291-296.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have marital status distributions that are very different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could

67 therefore have a noticeable impact on the marital status distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – The word “current” was dropped from the 1996-1998 question. Since 1999, the question states, “What is this person’s marital status?” The American Community Survey began providing the median age at first marriage with the 2004 data.

Means of Transportation to Work

See Journey to Work

Migration

See Residence 1 Year Ago

Native Population

The native population includes anyone who was a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national at birth. This includes respondents who indicated they were born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area (such as Guam), or abroad of American (U.S. citizen) parent or parents. See Citizenship Status.

Nativity

See Place of Birth

Nativity of Parent

Nativity of parent indicates the nativity (native or foreign born) of the parent(s) of children living in a family or subfamily with one or more parents present in the household. It applies to “own children,” that is, never married children under 18 years of age living with one or more of their parents. (See also “Own Child.”) The nativity of the child’s parent(s) is determined by the citizenship status of the parent(s). A person is considered native if he/she is a native United States citizen at birth, and foreign born if he/she is not a United States citizen at birth. (See also “Place of Birth.”)

Comparability – No comparable data were published in prior ACS years. However, prior years do include the nativity and relationship data from which “nativity of parent” was created.

Limitation of the Data – Nativity of parent does not provide information about children over the age of 18 who may live in the same household as their parents, or children of any age who live apart from their parents.

68 Occupation

See Industry, Occupation, and Class of Worker

Own Children

See Household Type and Relationship

Period of Military Service

See Veteran Status

Persons in Family

See Household Type and Relationship

Persons in Household

See Household Type and Relationship

Place of Birth

The data on place of birth were derived from answers to Question 7. Respondents were asked to select one of two categories: (1) in the United States, or (2) outside the United States. In the American Community Survey, respondents selecting category (1) were then asked to report the name of the state while respondents selecting category (2) were then asked to report the name of the foreign country, or Puerto Rico, Guam, etc. In the Puerto Rico Community Survey, respondents selecting category (1) were also asked to report the name of the state, while respondents selecting category (2) were then asked to print Puerto Rico or the name of the foreign country, or U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, etc. People not reporting a place of birth were assigned the state or country of birth of another family member, or were allocated the response of another individual with similar characteristics. People born outside the United States were asked to report their place of birth according to current international boundaries. Since numerous changes in boundaries of foreign countries have occurred in the last century, some people may have reported their place of birth in terms of boundaries that existed at the time of their birth or emigration, or in accordance with their own national preference.

Nativity – Information on place of birth and citizenship status was used to classify the population into two major categories: native and foreign born.

Native – The native population includes anyone who was a U.S. citizen at birth. The native population includes those born in the United States, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as those born abroad of at least one American (U.S. citizen) parent. The native population is divided into the following groups: people born in the state in which they resided at the time of the survey; people born in a different state, by region; people born in Puerto Rico or one of the U.S. Island Areas; and

69 people born abroad with at least one American (U.S. citizen) parent. (See also “Citizenship Status.”)

Foreign Born – The foreign-born population includes anyone who was not a U.S. citizen at birth. This includes respondents who indicated they were a U.S. citizen by naturalization or not a U.S. citizen. (See also “Citizenship Status.”)

The foreign-born population is shown by selected area, country, or region of birth. The places of birth shown in data products were chosen based on the number of respondents who reported that area or country of birth.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the group quarters (GQ) population is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have place of birth distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the place of birth distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question asked respondents to write in the U.S. state, territory, commonwealth or foreign country where this person was born. Beginning in 1999, the question asked “Where was this person born?” and provided two check-boxes, each with a write-in space.

Place of Work

See Journey to Work

Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months

Poverty statistics in ACS products adhere to the standards specified by the Office of Management and Budget in Statistical Policy Directive 14. The Census Bureau uses a set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. Further, poverty thresholds for people living alone or with nonrelatives (unrelated individuals) vary by age (under 65 years or 65 years and older). The poverty thresholds for two-person families also vary by the age of the householder. If a family’s total income is less than the dollar value of the appropriate threshold, then that family and every individual in it are considered to be in poverty. Similarly, if an unrelated individual’s total income is less than the appropriate threshold, then that individual is considered to be in poverty.

How the Census Bureau Determines Poverty Status

In determining the poverty status of families and unrelated individuals, the Census Bureau uses thresholds (income cutoffs) arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. The matrix consists of family size (from one person to nine or more people) cross-classified by presence and number of family members under 18 years old (from no children present to eight or more children present). Unrelated individuals and two-person families are further differentiated by age of reference person (RP) (under 65 years old and 65 years old and over).

70 To determine a person's poverty status, one compares the person’s total family income in the last 12 months with the poverty threshold appropriate for that person's family size and composition (see example below). If the total income of that person's family is less than the threshold appropriate for that family, then the person is considered “below the poverty level,” together with every member of his or her family. If a person is not living with anyone related by birth, marriage, or adoption, then the person's own income is compared with his or her poverty threshold. The total number of people below the poverty level is the sum of people in families and the number of unrelated individuals with incomes in the last 12 months below the poverty threshold.

Since ACS is a continuous survey, people respond throughout the year. Because the income questions specify a period covering the last 12 months, the appropriate poverty thresholds are determined by multiplying the base-year poverty thresholds (1982) by the average of the monthly inflation factors for the 12 months preceding the data collection. See the table below titled “Poverty Thresholds in 1982, by Size of Family and Number of Related Children Under 18 Years (Dollars),” for appropriate base thresholds. See the table “The 2007 Poverty Factors” for the appropriate adjustment based on interview month.

For example, consider a family of three with one child under 18 years of age, interviewed in July 2007 and reporting a total family income of $14,000 for the last 12 months (July 2006 to June 2007). The base year (1982) threshold for such a family is $7,765, while the average of the 12 inflation factors is 2.11529. Multiplying $7,765 by 2.11529 determines the appropriate poverty threshold for this family type, which is $16,425. Comparing the family’s income of $14,000 with the poverty threshold shows that the family and all people in the family are considered to have been in poverty. The only difference for determining poverty status for unrelated individuals is that the person’s individual total income is compared with the threshold rather than the family’s income.

The 2007 Poverty Factors:

Interview Poverty Factors Month January 2.08884

February 2.09243

March 2.09658

April 2.10134

May 2.10585

June 2.11059

July 2.11529

August 2.11944

September 2.12287

October 2.12767

November 2.13380

71 December 2.14130

Poverty Thresholds in 1982, by Size of Family and Number of Related Children Under 18 Years Old (Dollars)

Size of family unit Related children under 18 years

Eight or None One Two Three Four Five Six Seven more One person (unrelated individual) Under 65 years 5,019 65 years and over 4,626 Two persons Householder under 65 years 6,459 6,649 Householder 65 years and 5,831 6,624 over Three persons 7,546 7,765 7,772 Four persons 9,950 10,112 9,783 9,817 Five persons 11,999 12,173 11,801 11,512 11,336 Six persons 13,801 13,855 13,570 13,296 12,890 12,649 Seven persons 15,879 15,979 15,637 15,399 14,955 14,437 13,869 Eight persons or more 17,760 17,917 17,594 17,312 16,911 16,403 15,872 15,738

Nine persons or more 21,364 21,468 21,183 20,943 20,549 20,008 19,517 19,397 18,649 Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Individuals for Whom Poverty Status is Determined – Poverty status was determined for all people except institutionalized people, people in military group quarters, people in college dormitories, and unrelated individuals under 15 years old. These groups were excluded from the numerator and denominator when calculating poverty rates.

Specified Poverty Levels – For various reasons, the official poverty definition does not satisfy all the needs of data users. Therefore, some of the data reflect the number of people below different percentages of the poverty thresholds. These specified poverty levels are obtained by multiplying the official thresholds by the appropriate factor. Using the previous example cited (a family of three with one related child under 18 years responding in July 2007), the dollar value of 125 percent of the poverty threshold was $20,011 ($16,009 x 1.25).

Income Deficit – Income deficit represents the difference between the total income in the last 12 months of families and unrelated individuals below the poverty level and their respective poverty thresholds. In computing the income deficit, families reporting a net income loss are assigned zero dollars and for such cases the deficit is equal to the poverty threshold.

72 This measure provides an estimate of the amount, which would be required to raise the incomes of all poor families and unrelated individuals to their respective poverty thresholds. The income deficit is thus a measure of the degree of the impoverishment of a family or unrelated individual. However, please use caution when comparing the average deficits of families with different characteristics. Apparent differences in average income deficits may, to some extent, be a function of differences in family size.

Aggregate Income Deficit – Aggregate income deficit refers only to those families or unrelated individuals who are classified as below the poverty level. It is defined as the group (e.g., type of family) sum total of differences between the appropriate threshold and total family income or total personal income. Aggregate income deficit is subject to rounding, which means that all cells in a matrix are rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. (For more information, see “Aggregate” under “Derived Measures.”)

Mean Income Deficit – Mean income deficit represents the amount obtained by dividing the total income deficit for a group below the poverty level by the number of families (or unrelated individuals) in that group. (The aggregate used to calculate mean income deficit is rounded. For more information, see “Aggregate Income Deficit.”) As mentioned above, please use caution when comparing mean income deficits of families with different characteristics, as apparent differences may, to some extent, be a function of differences in family size. Mean income deficit is rounded to the nearest whole dollar. (For more information on means, see “Derived Measures.”)

Question/Concept History –

Derivation of the Current Poverty Measure – When the original poverty definition was developed in 1964 by the Social Security Administration (SSA), it focused on family food consumption. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) used its data about the nutritional needs of children and adults to construct food plans for families. Within each food plan, dollar amounts varied according to the total number of people in the family and the family's composition, that is, the number of children within each family. The cheapest of these plans, the Economy Food Plan, was designed to address the dietary needs of families on an austere budget.

Since the USDA’s 1955 Food Consumption Survey showed that families of three or more people across all income levels spent roughly one-third of their income on food, the SSA multiplied the cost of the Economy Food Plan by three to obtain dollar figures for total family income. These dollar figures, with some adjustments, later became the official poverty thresholds. Since the Economy Food Plan budgets varied by family size and composition, so too did the poverty thresholds. For two-person families, the thresholds were adjusted by slightly higher factors because those households had higher fixed costs. Thresholds for unrelated individuals were calculated as a fixed proportion of the corresponding thresholds for two-person families.

The poverty thresholds are revised annually to allow for changes in the cost of living as reflected in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). The poverty thresholds are the same for all parts of the country; they are not adjusted for regional, state, or local variations in the cost of living.

73 Comparability – Because of differences in survey methodology (questionnaire design, method of data collection, sample size, etc.), the poverty rate estimates obtained from American Community Survey data may differ from those reported in the Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, and those reported in Census 2000. Please refer to for more details.

Poverty Status of Households in the Past 12 Months

Since poverty is defined at the family level and not the household level, the poverty status of the household is determined by the poverty status of the householder. Households are classified as poor when the total income of the householder's family in the last 12 months is below the appropriate poverty threshold. (For nonfamily householders, their own income is compared with the appropriate threshold.) The income of people living in the household who are unrelated to the householder is not considered when determining the poverty status of a household, nor does their presence affect the family size in determining the appropriate threshold. The poverty thresholds vary depending upon three criteria: size of family, number of children, and, for one- and two- person families, age of the householder.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. The part of the group quarters population in the poverty universe (for example, people living in group homes or those living in agriculture workers’ dormitories) is many times more likely to be in poverty than people living in households. Direct comparisons of the data would likely result in erroneous conclusions about changes in the poverty status of all people in the poverty universe.

Private Vehicle Occupancy

See Journey to Work

Race

The data on race were derived from answers to Question 6. The concept of race, as used by the Census Bureau, reflects self-identification by people according to the race or races with which they most closely identify. These categories are socio-political constructs and should not be interpreted as being scientific or anthropological in nature. Furthermore, the race categories include both racial and national-origin groups.

The racial classifications used by the Census Bureau adhere to the October 30, 1997, Federal Register Notice entitled, “Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity,” issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). These standards govern the categories used to collect and present federal data on race and ethnicity. The OMB requires five minimum categories (White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander) for race. The race categories are described below with a sixth category, “Some other race,” added with OMB approval. In addition to the five race groups, the OMB also states that respondents should be offered the option of selecting one or more races.

74 If an individual did not provide a race response, the race or races of the householder or other household members were assigned using specific rules of precedence of household relationship. For example, if race was missing for a son or daughter in the household, then either the race or races of the householder, another child, or the spouse of the householder were assigned. If race was not reported for anyone in the household, the race or races of a householder in a previously processed household were assigned. This procedure is a variation of the general imputation procedures described in “Accuracy of the Data.”

White – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as “White” or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish.

Black or African American – A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as “Black, African American, or Negro,” or provide written entries such as African American, Afro-American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.

American Indian or Alaska Native – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment. It includes people who classified themselves as described below.

American Indian – This category includes people who indicate their race as “American Indian,” entered the name of an Indian tribe, or reported such entries as Canadian Indian, French American Indian, or Spanish American Indian.

American Indian Tribe – Respondents who identified themselves as American Indian were asked to report their enrolled or principal tribe. Therefore, tribal data in tabulations reflect the written entries reported on the questionnaires. Some of the entries (for example, Iroquois, Sioux, Colorado River, and Flathead) represent nations or reservations. The information on tribe is based on self-identification and therefore does not reflect any designation of a federally- or state-recognized tribe. The information for the American Community Survey is derived from the American Indian Tribal Classification List for the 1990 census that was updated for Census 2000 and the ACS based on a December 1997 Federal Register Notice entitled “Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive Service From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs,” Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, issued by the Office of Management and Budget.

Alaska Native – This category includes written responses of Eskimos, Aleuts, and Alaska Indians as well as entries such as Arctic Slope, Inupiat, Yupik, Alutiiq, Egegik, and Pribilovian. The Alaska tribes are the Alaskan Athabascan, Tlingit, and Haida. The information for ACS is based on the American Indian Tribal Classification List for the 1990 census and Census 2000, which was expanded to list the individual Alaska Native Villages when provided as a written response for race.

Asian – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan,

75 Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. It includes “Asian Indian,” “Chinese,” “Filipino,” “Korean,” “Japanese,” “Vietnamese,” and “Other Asian.”

Asian Indian – This category includes people who indicate their race as “Asian Indian” or identified themselves as Bengalese, Bharat, Dravidian, East Indian, or Goanese.

Chinese – This category includes people who indicate their race as “Chinese” or who identify themselves as Cantonese, or Chinese American. In some tabulations, written entries of Taiwanese are included with Chinese while in others they are shown separately.

Filipino – This category includes people who indicate their race as “Filipino” or who report entries such as Philipino, Philipine, or Filipino American.

Japanese – This category includes people who indicate their race as “Japanese” or who report entries such as Nipponese or Japanese American.

Korean – This category includes people who indicate their race as “Korean” or who provide a response of Korean American.

Vietnamese – This category includes people who indicate their race as “Vietnamese” or who provide a response of Vietnamese American.

Cambodian – This category includes people who provide a response such as Cambodian or Cambodia.

Hmong – This category includes people who provide a response such as Hmong, Laohmong, or Mong.

Laotian – This category includes people who provide a response such as Laotian, Laos, or Lao.

Thai – This category includes people who provide a response such as Thai, Thailand, or Siamese.

Other Asian – This category includes people who provide a response of Bangladeshi; Bhutanese; Burmese; Indochinese; Indonesian; Iwo Jiman; Madagascar; Malaysian; Maldivian; Nepalese; Okinawan; Pakistani; Singaporean; Sri Lankan; or Other Asian, specified and Other Asian, not specified, which includes entries such as Asian American, Asian, and Asiatic.

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicate their race as “Native Hawaiian,” “Guamanian or Chamorro,” “Samoan,” and “Other Pacific Islander.”

76 Native Hawaiian – This category includes people who indicate their race as “Native Hawaiian” or who identify themselves as “Part Hawaiian” or “Hawaiian.”

Guamanian or Chamorro – This category includes people who indicate their race as such, including written entries of Guam or Chamorro.

Samoan – This category includes people who indicate their race as “Samoan” or who identify themselves as American Samoan or Western Samoan.

Other Pacific Islander – This category includes people who provide a write-in response of a Pacific Islander group such as Carolinian; Chuukese (Trukese); Fijian; Kosraean; Melanesian; Micronesian; Northern Mariana Islander; Palauan; Papua New Guinean; Pohnpeian; Polynesian; Solomon Islander; Tahitian; Tokelauan; Tongan; Yapese; or Other Pacific Islander, specified and Other Pacific Islander, not specified.

Three Pacific Islander cultural groups are identified in the base tables: Melanesian, which includes Fijian; Micronesian, which includes Guamanian and Chamorro; and Polynesian, which includes Native Hawaiian, Samoan, and Tongan.

Some Other Race – Includes all other responses not included in the “White,” “Black or African American,” “American Indian or Alaska Native,” “Asian,” and “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander” race categories described above. Respondents providing write-in entries such as multiracial, mixed, interracial, or a Hispanic/Latino group (for example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban) in the “Some other race” write-in space are included in this category.

Two or More Races – People may have chosen to provide two or more races either by checking two or more race response check boxes, by providing multiple write-in responses, or by some combination of check boxes and write-in responses. The race response categories shown on the questionnaire are collapsed into the five minimum races identified by the OMB, and the Census Bureau’s “Some other race” category. For data product purposes, “Two or More Races” refers to combinations of two or more of the following race categories:

1. White 2. Black or African American 3. American Indian and Alaska Native 4. Asian 5. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 6. Some other race

There are 57 possible combinations (see below) involving the race categories shown above. Thus, according to this approach, a response of “White” and “Asian” was tallied as two or more races, while a response of “Japanese” and “Chinese” was not because “Japanese” and “Chinese” are both Asian responses. Tabulations of responses involving reporting of two or more races within the American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, or Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander categories are available in other data products.

77 Two or More Races (57 Possible Specified Combinations) 1. White; Black or African American 2. White; American Indian and Alaska Native 3. White; Asian 4. White; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 5. White; Some other race 6. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native 7. Black or African American; Asian 8. Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 9. Black or African American; Some other race 10. American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian 11. American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 12. American Indian and Alaska Native; Some other race 13. Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 14. Asian; Some other race 15. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 16. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native 17. White; Black or African American; Asian 18. White; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 19. White; Black or African American; Some other race 20. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian 21. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 22. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Some other race 23. White; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 24. White; Asian; Some other race 25. White; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 26. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian 27. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 28. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Some other race 29. Black or African American; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 30. Black or African American; Asian; Some other race 31. Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 32. American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 33. American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Some other race 34. American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 35. Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 36. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian 37. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 38. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Some other race 39. White; Black or African American; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 40. White; Black or African American; Asian; Some other race 41. White; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 42. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 43. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Some other race

78 44. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 45. White; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 46. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 47. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Some other race 48. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 49. Black or African American; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 50. American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 51. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 52. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Some other race 53. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 54. White; Black or African American; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 55. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 56. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race 57. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

Given the many possible ways of displaying data on two or more races, data products will provide varying levels of detail. The most common presentation shows a single line indicating “Two or more races.” Some data products provide totals of all 57 possible race combinations, as well as subtotals of people reporting a specific number of races, such as people reporting two races, people reporting three races, and so on. In other presentations on race, data are shown for the total number of people who reported one of the six categories alone or in combination with one or more other race categories. For example, the category, “Asian alone or in combination with one or more other races” includes people who reported Asian alone and people who reported Asian in combination with White, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and/or Some other race. This number, therefore, represents the maximum number of people who reported as Asian in the question on race. When this data presentation is used, the individual race categories will add to more than the total population because people may be included in more than one category.

Coding of Race Write-in Responses – The coding of race write-in entries included an automated review, computer edit, and coding operation. There were two types of coding operations: (1) automated coding where a write-in response was automatically coded if it matched a write-in response already contained in a database known as the “master file,” and (2) expert coding, which took place when a write-in response did not match an entry already on the master file, and was sent to expert coders familiar with the subject matter. During the coding process, subject-matter specialists reviewed and coded written entries from four

79 response categories on the race question: American Indian or Alaska Native, Other Asian, Other Pacific Islander, and Some other race. All tribal entries were coded as either American Indian or as Alaska Native.

Comparability – The data on race in the American Community Survey are not directly comparable. Ongoing research conducted following the 1990 census affected the ACS question on race since its inception in 1996. Also, the October 1997 revised standards for federal data on race and ethnicity issued by the OMB led to changes in the question on race for Census 2000. Consequently, in order to achieve consistency, other census-administered surveys such as ACS were modified to reflect changes required by OMB.

Limitation of the data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have race distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the race distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History –

1996-1998 American Community Survey

• The sequence of the questions on race and Hispanic origin was switched. In 1998, the question on race immediately followed the question on Hispanic origin, while in the 1990 census, the question on race (Question 4) preceded the question on Hispanic origin (Question 7) with two intervening questions.

• The 1990 census category, “Black or Negro” was changed to “Black, African Am.”

• The 1990 census category, “Other race,” was renamed “Some other race.” A separate “Multiracial” category was added. The instruction to “print the race(s) or group below” pertained to both the “Some other race” and “Multiracial” categories.

• The “Indian (Amer.),” “Other Asian/Pacific Islander,” “Some other race,” and “Multiracial” response categories all shared a single write-in area.

1999-2002 American Community Survey

• The response category “Black, African Am.” was changed to “Black, African Am., or Negro” to correspond with the Census 2000 response category.

• The separate 1990 census and 1996-1998 ACS response categories “Indian (Amer.),” “Eskimo,” and “Aleut,” were combined into one response category, “American Indian or Alaska Native.” Respondents were asked to “print name of enrolled or principal tribe” on a separate write-in line. This corresponds with the Census 2000 response category.

• The 1990 Asian or Pacific Islander category was separated into two categories, “Asian” and “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.” Also, the six detailed Asian

80 groups were alphabetized; and the three detailed Pacific Islander groups were alphabetized after the Native Hawaiian response category.

• The response category “Hawaiian” was changed to “Native Hawaiian.” The response category “Guamanian” was changed to “Guamanian or Chamorro.” The response category “Other Asian/Pacific Islander” was split into two separate response categories, “Other Asian,” and “Other Pacific Islander.” These changes correspond to those in the Census 2000 response categories.

• The separate “multiracial” response category was dropped. Rather, respondents were instructed to “Mark [x] one or more races to indicate what this person considers himself/herself to be.” Respondents were allowed to select more than one category for race in Census 2000.

• In the American Community Survey, the “Other Asian,” “Other Pacific Islander,” and “Some other race” response categories shared the same write-in area. On the Census 2000 questionnaire, only the “Other Asian” and “Other Pacific Islander” response categories shared the same write-in area, and the “Some other race” category had a separate write-in area.

American Community Survey, starting in 2003:

• The response category “Black, African Am., or Negro” was changed to “Black or African American.”

Puerto Rico Community Survey, starting in 2005:

• Separate questions on race and Hispanic origin were included on the questionnaire. These questions were identical to the questions used in the United States.

Reference Week

The data on employment status and journey to work relate to the reference week, that is, the calendar week preceding the date on which the respondents completed their questionnaires or were interviewed. This week is not the same for all respondents since the interviewing was conducted over a 12-month period. The occurrence of holidays during the relative reference week could affect the data on actual hours worked during the reference week, but probably had no effect on overall measurement of employment status.

Relatives and Nonrelatives

See Household Type and Relationship

Residence 1 Year Ago

The data on residence 1 year ago were derived from answers to Questions 14a, 14b, and 14c, which were asked of the population 1 year and older. For the American Community Survey,

81 people who had moved from another residence in the United States 1 year earlier were asked to report the name of the city, town, or post office, the name of the U.S. county, state, and ZIP Code where they lived 1 year ago. People living outside the United States were asked to report the name of the foreign country or U.S. Island Area where they were living 1 year ago.

For the Puerto Rico Community Survey, people who moved from another residence in Puerto Rico 1 year ago were asked to report the name of the city, town, or post office; the municipio (county equivalent); and the ZIP Code where they lived. People whose residence 1 year ago was in the United States were asked to report the name of the city, county, state, and ZIP Code where they lived. People living outside Puerto Rico and the United States were asked to report the name of the foreign country or U.S. Island Area where they were living 1 year ago.

Residence 1 year ago is used in conjunction with location of current residence to determine the extent of residential mobility of the population and the resulting redistribution of the population across the various states, metropolitan areas, and regions of the country.

When no information on previous residence was reported for a person, information for other family members, if available, was used to assign a location of residence 1 year ago. All cases of nonresponse or incomplete response that were not assigned a previous residence based on information from other family members were allocated the previous residence of another person with similar characteristics who provided complete information.

The tabulation category, “Same house,” includes all people 1 year and over who did not move during the 1 year as well as those who had moved and returned to their residence 1 year ago. The category, “Different house in the United States” includes people who lived in the United States 1 year ago but in a different house or apartment from the one they occupied at the time of interview. These movers are then further subdivided according to the type of move.

In most tabulations, movers within the U.S. are divided into three groups according to their previous residence: “Different house, same county,” “Different county, same state,” and “Different state.” The last group may be further subdivided into region of residence 1 year ago. An additional category, “Abroad,” includes those whose previous residence was in a foreign country, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, including members of the armed forces and their dependents. Some tabulations show movers who were residing in Puerto Rico or one of the U.S. Island Areas 1 year ago separately from those residing in foreign countries.

In most tabulations, movers within Puerto Rico are divided into two groups according to their residence 1 year ago: “Same municipio,” and “Different municipio.” Municipio of previous residence in Puerto Rico is not available for people living in the United States in 2005. Other tabulations show movers within or between metropolitan areas similar to the stateside tabulations.

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the group quarters (GQ) population is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have residence one year ago (migration) distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ

82 population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the residence one year ago (migration) distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 questions asked about residence 5 years ago. Beginning in 1999, the time period was changed to that of 1 year ago, which reflects the on-going data collection on the American Community Survey, and allows for annual estimates of migration. Beginning in 1999, a separate write-in line and a skip instruction were added for a foreign country response. This write-in line was moved to the mobility screener. The migration parts (city, county, and state response areas) were also reordered. Beginning in 2003, the numerical order was changed so that part c of this question would not be displayed in a separate column of the questionnaire.

School Enrollment and Type of School

Data on school enrollment and grade or level attending were derived from answers to Question 10. People were classified as enrolled in school if they were attending a “regular” public or private school or college at any time during the 3 months prior to the time of interview. The question included instructions to “include only nursery or preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, and schooling which leads to a high school diploma, or a college degree” as regular school or college. Respondents who did not answer the enrollment question were assigned the enrollment status and type of school of a person with the same age, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino origin whose residence was in the same or nearby area.

A regular school advances a person toward an elementary school certificate, a high school diploma, or a college, university, or professional school (such as law or medicine) degree. Tutoring or correspondence schools are included if credit can be obtained in a “regular school.” People enrolled in “vocational, technical, or business school” were not reported as enrolled in regular school. Field interviewers were instructed to classify individuals who were home schooled as enrolled in private school. The guide sent out with the mail questionnaire does not include explicit instructions for how to classify home schoolers.

Enrolled in Public and Private School – Includes people who attended school in the reference period and indicated they were enrolled by marking one of the questionnaire categories for “public school, public college,” or “private school, private college.” The instruction guide defines a public school as “any school or college controlled and supported primarily by a local, county, state, or federal government.” Private schools are defined as schools supported and controlled primarily by religious organizations or other private groups. Respondents who marked both the “public” and “private” boxes are edited to the first entry, “public.”

Comparability – Data on school enrollment also are collected and published by other federal, state, and local government agencies. Because these data are obtained from administrative records of school systems and institutions of higher learning, they are only roughly comparable to data from population censuses and surveys. Differences in definitions and concepts, subject matter covered, time references, and data collection methods contribute to the differences in estimates. At the local level, the difference between the location of the institution and the residence of the student may affect the comparability of census and administrative data because census data are collected from and based on a respondent’s

83 residence. Differences between the boundaries of school districts and census geographic units also may affect these comparisons.

Question/Concept History – Since 1999, the American Community Survey refers to “regular school or college,” while the 1996-1998 American Community Survey did not restrict reporting to “regular” school, and contained an additional category for the “vocational, technical or business school.”

Grade in Which Enrolled – Since 1999, in the American Community Survey, people reported to be enrolled in “public school, public college” or “private school, private college” were classified by grade or level according to responses to Question 10b, “What grade or level was this person attending?” Seven levels were identified: “nursery school, preschool;” “kindergarten;” elementary “grade 1 to grade 4” or “grade 5 to grade 8;” high school “grade 9 to grade 12;” “college undergraduate years (freshman to senior);” and “graduate or professional school (for example: medical, dental, or law school).”

Limitation of the Data – Beginning in 2006, the population universe in the American Community Survey includes people living in group quarters. Data users may see slight differences in levels of school enrollment in any given geographic area due to the inclusion of this population. The extent of this difference, if any, depends on the type of group quarters present and whether the group quarters population makes up a large proportion of the total population. For example, in areas that are home to several colleges and universities, the percent of individuals 18 to 24 who were enrolled in college or graduate school would increase, as people living in college dormitories are now included in the universe.

Question/Concept History – The 1996-1998 American Community Survey used the educational attainment question to estimate level of enrollment for those reported to be enrolled in school, and had a single year write-in for the attainment of grades 1 through 11. Grade levels estimated using the attainment question were not consistent with other estimates, so a new question specifically asking grade or level of enrollment was added starting with the 1999 American Community Survey questionnaire.

Sex

The data on sex were derived from answers to Question 1. Individuals were asked to mark either “male” or “female” to indicate their sex. For most cases in which sex was not reported, the appropriate entry was determined from the person’s given (i.e., first) name and household relationship. Otherwise, sex was imputed according to the relationship to the householder and the age of the person.

Sex Ratio – The sex ratio represents the balance between the male and female populations. Ratios above 100 indicate a larger male population, and ratios below 100 indicate a larger female population. This measure is derived by dividing the total number of males by the total number of females and then multiplying by 100. It is rounded to the nearest tenth.

Limitation of the data – Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have sex distributions that are very different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore

84 have a noticeable impact on the sex distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – The sex question has remained the same.

Social Security Income

See Income in the Past 12 Months

Subfamily

See Household Type and Relationship

Time Leaving Home to Go to Work

See Journey to Work

Travel Time to Work

See Journey to Work

Type of School

See School Enrollment

Usual Hours Worked in the Past 12 Months

See Work Experience

Veteran Status

Data on veteran status, period of military service, and years of military service were derived from answers to Questions 20, 21, and 22.

Veteran Status – For data products, a “civilian veteran” is a person 18 years old or over who has served (even for a short time), but is not now serving, on active duty in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or the Coast Guard, or who served in the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II. People who served in the National Guard or military Reserves are classified as veterans only if they were ever called or ordered to active duty, not counting the 4-6 months for initial training or yearly summer camps. All other civilians 18 years old and over are classified as nonveterans.

Period of Military Service – People who indicated that they had served on active duty or were now on active duty were asked to indicate the period or periods in which they served.

85 The responses to the question about period of service were edited for consistency and reasonableness. The edit eliminated inconsistencies between reported period(s) of service and age of the person; it also removed reported combinations of periods containing unreasonable gaps (for example, it did not accept a response that indicated that the person had served in World War II and in the Vietnam era, but not in the Korean conflict).

Years of Military Service – For the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, people who indicated that they had served on active duty or were now on active duty were asked to report the total number of years and months of active-duty service.

Since 1999, people who indicated that they had served on active duty or were now on active duty were asked to report whether the total number of years of active-duty service was less than 2 years or 2 years or more. The question asked for accumulated service, which is not necessarily the same as continuous service.

Limitation of the Data – There may be a tendency for the following kinds of persons to report erroneously that they served on active duty in the Armed Forces: (a) persons who served in the National Guard or Military Reserves but were never called to duty; (b) civilian employees or volunteers for the USO, Red Cross, or the Department of Defense (or its predecessors, the Department of War and the Department of the Navy); and (c) employees of the Merchant Marine or Public Health Service. There may also be a tendency for persons to erroneously round up months to the nearest year in Question 22. (For example, persons with one year and eight months of active duty military service may mistakenly report “2 years.”)

Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have period of military service and veteran status distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the period of service and veteran status distributions. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History –

Veteran Status: For the 1999-2002 American Community Survey question, the response categories were modified by expanding the “No active duty service” answer category to distinguish persons whose only military service was for training in the Reserves or National Guard, from persons with no military experience whatsoever.

Period of Military Service: For the 1999-2002 American Community Survey question, the response categories were modified by closing the “August 1990 or later (including Persian Gulf War)” period at March 1995, and adding the “April 1995” or later category. For the 2001-2002 American Community Survey question, the response category was changed from “Korean conflict” to “Korean War.” Starting in 2003, the response categories for the question were modified in several ways. The first category “April 1995 or later” was changed to “September 2001 or later” to reflect the era that began after the events of September 11, 2001; the second category “August 1990 to March 1995” was then expanded to “August 1990 to August 2001 (including Persian Gulf War).” The category “February 1955 to July 1964” was split into two categories: “March 1961 to July 1964” and “February 1955 to February 1961.” To match the revised dates for war-time periods of the Department of

86 Veteran Affairs, the dates for the “World War II” category were changed from “September 1940 to July 1947” to “December 1941 to December 1946,” and the dates for the “Korean War” were changed from “June 1950 to January 1955” to “July 1950 to January 1955.” To increase specificity, the “Some other time” category was split into two categories: “January 1947 to June 1950” and “November 1941 or earlier.”

Weeks Worked in the Past 12 Months

See Work Experience

Work Experience

The data on work experience were derived from answers to Questions 32, 33, and 34. This term relates to work status in the past 12 months, weeks worked in the past 12 months, and usual hours worked per week worked in the past 12 months.

Work Status in the Past 12 Months

The data on work status in the past 12 months were derived from answers to Question 32. People 16 years old and over who worked 1 or more weeks according to the criteria described below are classified as “Worked in the past 12 months.” All other people 16 years old and over are classified as “Did not work in the past 12 months.”

Weeks Worked in the Past 12 Months

The data on weeks worked in the past 12 months were derived from responses to Question 33, which was asked of people 16 years old and over who indicated that they worked during the past 12 months.

The data pertain to the number of weeks during the past 12 months in which a person did any work for pay or profit (including paid vacation and paid sick leave) or worked without pay on a family farm or in a family business. Weeks of active service in the Armed Forces are also included.

Aggregate Weeks Worked in the Past 12 Months – Aggregate weeks worked is the sum of the values for weeks worked in the past 12 months of all the people in a particular universe. (For more information, see “Aggregate” under “Derived Measures.”)

Mean Weeks Worked in the Past 12 Months – Mean weeks worked is the number obtained by dividing the aggregate number of weeks worked for a particular universe by the number of people in that universe. For example, mean weeks worked for workers 16 to 64 years old is obtained by dividing the aggregate weeks worked for workers 16 to 64 years old by the total number of workers 16 to 64 years old. Mean weeks worked values are rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a week. (For more information, see “Mean” under “Derived Measures.”)

87 Usual Hours Worked Per Week Worked in the Past 12 Months

The data on usual hours worked per week worked in the past 12 months were derived from answers to Question 34. This question was asked of people 16 years old and over who indicated that they worked during the past 12 months.

The data pertain to the number of hours a person usually worked during the weeks worked in the past 12 months. The respondent was to report the number of hours worked per week in the majority of the weeks he or she worked in the past 12 months. If the hours worked per week varied considerably during the past 12 months, the respondent was to report an approximate average of the hours worked per week.

People 16 years old and over who reported that they usually worked 35 or more hours each week during the weeks they worked are classified as “Usually worked full time;” people who reported that they usually worked 1 to 34 hours are classified as “Usually worked part time.”

Aggregate Usual Hours Worked Per Week in the Past 12 Months – Aggregate usual hours worked is the sum of the values for usual hours worked each week of all the people in a particular universe. (For more information, see “Aggregate” under “Derived Measures.”)

Mean Usual Hours Worked Per Week in the Past 12 Months – Mean usual hours worked is the number obtained by dividing the aggregate number of hours worked each week of a particular universe by the number of people in that universe. For example, mean usual hours worked for workers 16 to 64 years old is obtained by dividing the aggregate usual hours worked each week for workers 16 to 64 years old by the total number of workers 16 to 64 years old. Mean usual hours worked values are rounded to the nearest one-tenth of an hour. (For more information, see “Mean” under “Derived Measures.”)

Full-Time, Year-Round Workers – All people 16 years old and over who usually worked 35 hours or more per week for 50 to 52 weeks in the past 12 months.

Number of Workers in Family in the Past 12 Months – The term “worker” as used for these data is defined based on the criteria for work status in the past 12 months.

Limitation of the Data – It is probable that the number of people who worked in the past 12 months and the number of weeks worked are understated since there is some tendency for respondents to forget intermittent or short periods of employment or to exclude weeks worked without pay. There may also be a tendency for people not to include weeks of paid vacation among their weeks worked; one result may be that the American Community Survey figures understate the number of people who worked “50 to 52 weeks.”

The American Community Survey data refer to the 12 months preceding the date of interview. Since not all people in the American Community Survey were interviewed at the same time, the reference period for the American Community Survey data is neither fixed nor uniform.

Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have work experience distributions that are different from the

88 household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the work experience distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Work Status in the Past 12 Months

See Work Experience

Year of Entry

The data on year of entry were derived from answers to Question 9.

All respondents born outside the United States were asked for the year in which they came to live in the United States. This includes people born in Puerto Rico and U.S. Island Areas; people born abroad of an American (U.S. citizen) parent or parents; and the foreign born. (See “Citizenship Status.”) For the Puerto Rico Community Survey, respondents were asked for the year in which they came to live in Puerto Rico.

Limitation of the Data – Respondents were directed to indicate the year they entered the U.S. (or Puerto Rico, for the Puerto Community Survey) “to live.” For respondents who have entered the U.S. (or Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Community Survey) multiple times, the interviewers were instructed to request the most recent year of entry. For respondents who either did not ask the interviewer for clarification or for those who mailed back the questionnaire without being interviewed in person, it was difficult to ensure that respondents interpreted the question as intended.

Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have year of entry distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the year of entry distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.

Question/Concept History – Since 1996, the year of entry questions for the American Community Survey and for the Puerto Rico Survey were identical. An instruction was added beginning in 1999.

Years of Military Service

See Veteran Status

Derived Measures

Census data products include various derived measures, such as medians, means, and percentages, as well as certain rates and ratios. Most derived measures that round to less than 0.1 are shown as zero.

89

Aggregate

See “Mean.”

Average

See “Mean.”

Gini Index

The Gini is a measure of how much a distribution varies from a proportionate distribution. A purely proportionate distribution would have every value in the distribution being equal (that is 20% of the values would equal 20% of the aggregate total of all the values). This is also known as “perfect equality” – all households have an equal share of income. An example of a distribution that deviates the most from perfect equality would be have every value except one equal to zero, and one value that would be equal to the nonzero aggregate total for all the values. This is also known as “perfect inequality” – one household has all income.

The Gini ranges from zero (perfect equality) to one (perfect inequality), and it is calculated by measuring the difference between a diagonal line (the purely proportionate distribution) and the distribution of actual values (a Lorenz curve). This measure is presented for household income.

Interpolation

Interpolation is frequently used to calculate medians or quartiles and to approximate standard errors from tables based on interval data. Different kinds of interpolation may be used to estimate the value of a function between two known values, depending on the form of the distribution. The most common distributional assumption is that the data are linear, resulting in linear interpolation. However, this assumption may not be valid for income data, particularly when the data are based on wide intervals. For these cases, a Pareto distribution is assumed and the median is estimated by interpolating between the logarithms of the upper and lower income limits of the median category. The Census Bureau estimates median income using the Pareto distribution within intervals when the intervals are wider than $2,500.

Mean

This measure represents an arithmetic average of a set of values. It is derived by dividing the sum (or aggregate) of a group of numerical questions by the total number of questions in that group. For example, mean household earnings is obtained by dividing the aggregate of all earnings reported by individuals with earnings living in households by the total number of households with earnings. (Additional information on means and aggregates is included in the separate explanations of many population and housing variables.)

90 Aggregate. An aggregate is the sum of the values for each of the elements in the universe. For example, aggregate household income is the sum of the incomes of all households in a given geographic area. Means are derived by dividing the aggregate by the appropriate universe. When an aggregate used as a numerator is rounded in the detailed (base) tables, the rounded value is used for the calculation of the mean.

Rounding for selected aggregates. To protect the confidentiality of responses, the aggregates shown in matrices for the list of subjects below are rounded. This means that the aggregates for these subjects, except for travel time to work, are rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. Unless special rounding rules apply (see below); $150 rounds up to $200; $149 rounds down to $100. Note that each cell in a matrix is rounded individually. This means that an aggregate value shown for the United States may not necessarily be the sum total of the aggregate values in the matrices for the states. This also means that the cells in the aggregate matrices may not add to the total and/or subtotal lines.

Special rounding rules for aggregates. – If the dollar value is between –$100 and +$100, then the dollar value is rounded to $0. – If the dollar value is less than –$100, then the dollar value is rounded to the nearest –$100.

Aggregates Subject to Rounding: Contract Rent, Rent Asked Earnings in the Past 12 Months (Households) Earnings in the Past 12 Months (Individuals) Food Stamps Gross Rent* Income Deficit in the Past 12 Months (Families) Income Deficit in the Past 12 Months Per Family Member Income Deficit in the Past 12 Months Per Unrelated Individual Income in the Past 12 Months (Household/Family/Nonfamily Household) Income in the Past 12 Months (Individuals) Mobile Home Costs Real Estate Taxes (Per $1,000 Value) Rent Asked Selected Monthly Owner Costs* by Mortgage Status Total Mortgage Payment Travel Time to Work** Type of Income in the Past 12 Months (Households) Value, Price Asked

[*Note: Gross Rent and Selected Monthly Owner Costs include other aggregates that also are subject to rounding. For example, Gross Rent includes aggregates of payments for “contract rent” and the “costs of utilities and fuels.” Selected Monthly Owner Costs includes aggregates of payments for “mortgages, deeds of trust, contracts to purchase, or similar debts on the property (including payments for the first mortgage, second mortgage, home equity loans, and other junior mortgages); real

91 estate taxes; fire, hazard, and flood insurance on the property, and the costs of utilities and fuels.”]

[**Note: Aggregate Travel Time to Work is zero if the aggregate is zero, is rounded to 4 minutes if the aggregate is 1 to 7 minutes, and is rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 minutes for all other values (if the aggregate is not already evenly divisible by 5).]

Median

This measure represents the middle value (if n is odd) or the average of the two middle values (if n is even) in an ordered list of n data values. The median divides the total frequency distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median and one-half above the median. Each median is calculated using a standard distribution (see below). (For more information, see “Interpolation.”)

For data products displayed in American FactFinder, medians that fall in the upper-most category of an open-ended distribution will be shown with a plus symbol (+) appended (e.g., “$2,000+” for contract rent), and medians that fall in the lowest category of an open-ended distribution will be shown with a minus symbol (-) appended (e.g., “$100- for contract rent”). For other data products and data files that are downloaded by users (i.e., FTP files), plus and minus signs will not be appended. Contract Rent, for example will be shown as $2001 if the median falls in the upper-most category ($2,000 or more) and $99 if the median falls in the lowest category (Less than $100). (The “Standard Distributions” section below shows the open-ended intervals for medians.)

Standard Distributions. In order to provide consistency in the values within and among data products, standard distributions from which medians and quartiles are calculated are used for the American Community Survey. The American Community Survey standard distributions are listed below.

Standard Distribution for Median Age: [116 data cells]

Under 1 year 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years . . . 112 years 113 years 114 years 115 years and over

92 Standard Distribution for Median Age at First Marriage [9 cells]

5 to 9 years 10 to 14 years 15 to 19 years 20 to 24 years 25 to 29 years 30 to 34 years 35 to 39 years 40 to 44 years 45 to 49 years

Standard Distribution for Median Agricultural Crop Sales: [5 data cells]

Less than $1,000 $1,000 to $2,499 $2,500 to $4,999 $5,000 to $9,999 $10,000 or more

Standard Distribution for Median Bedrooms: [6 data cells]

No bedroom 1 bedroom 2 bedrooms 3 bedrooms 4 bedrooms 5 or more bedrooms

Standard Distribution for Median Condominium Fees: [15 data cells]

Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $299 $300 to $399 $400 to $499 $500 to $599 $600 to $699 $700 to $799 $800 to $899 $900 to $999 $1,000 to $1,249 $1,250 to $1,499 $1,500 to $1,749

93 $1,750 or more

Standard Distribution for Median Contract Rent/Quartile Contract Rent/Rent Asked/Gross Rent: [21 data cells]

Less than $100 $100 to $149 $150 to $199 $200 to $249 $250 to $299 $300 to $349 $350 to $399 $400 to $449 $450 to $499 $500 to $549 $550 to $599 $600 to $649 $650 to $699 $700 to $749 $750 to $799 $800 to $899 $900 to $999 $1,000 to $1,249 $1,250 to $1,499 $1,500 to $1,999 $2,000 or more

Standard Distribution for Median Earnings and Median Income (Individuals): [35 data cells]

$1 to $2,499 or loss $2,500 to $4,999 $5,000 to $7,499 $7,500 to $9,999 $10,000 to $12,499 $12,500 to $14,999 $15,000 to $17,499 $17,500 to $19,999 $20,000 to $22,499 $22,500 to $24,999 $25,000 to $27,499 $27,500 to $29,999 $30,000 to $32,499 $32,500 to $34,999 $35,000 to $37,499 $37,500 to $39,999 $40,000 to $42,499

94 $42,500 to $44,999 $45,000 to $47,499 $47,500 to $49,999 $50,000 to $52,499 $52,500 to $54,999 $55,000 to $57,499 $57,500 to $59,999 $60,000 to $62,499 $62,500 to $64,999 $65,000 to $67,499 $67,500 to $69,999 $70,000 to $72,499 $72,500 to $74,999 $75,000 to $79,999 $80,000 to $84,999 $85,000 to $89,999 $90,000 to $99,999 $100,000 or more

Standard Distribution for Median Fire, Hazard, and Flood Insurance: [19 data cells]

$0 $1 to $49 $50 to $99 $100 to $149 $150 to $199 $200 to $249 $250 to $299 $300 to $349 $350 to $399 $400 to $449 $450 to $499 $500 to $599 $600 to $699 $700 to $799 $800 to $899 $900 to $999 $1,000 to $1,499 $1,500 to $1,999 $2,000 or more

Standard Distribution for Median Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income: [9 data cells]

Less than 10.0 percent 10.0 to 14.9 percent 15.0 to 19.9 percent 20.0 to 24.9 percent

95 25.0 to 29.9 percent 30.0 to 34.9 percent 35.0 to 39.9 percent 40.0 to 49.9 percent 50.0 percent or more

Standard Distribution for Median Income in the Past 12 Months (Household/Family/Nonfamily Household): [39 data cells]

Less than $2,500 $2,500 to $4,999 $5,000 to $7,499 $7,500 to $9,999 $10,000 to $12,499 $12,500 to $14,999 $15,000 to $17,499 $17,500 to $19,999 $20,000 to $22,499 $22,500 to $24,999 $25,000 to $27,499 $27,500 to $29,999 $30,000 to $32,499 $32,500 to $34,999 $35,000 to $37,499 $37,500 to $39,999 $40,000 to $42,499 $42,500 to $44,999 $45,000 to $47,499 $47,500 to $49,999 $50,000 to $52,499 $52,500 to $54,999 $55,000 to $57,499 $57,500 to $59,999 $60,000 to $62,499 $62,500 to $64,999 $65,000 to $67,499 $67,500 to $69,999 $70,000 to $72,499 $72,500 to $74,999 $75,000 to $79,999 $80,000 to $84,999 $85,000 to $89,999 $90,000 to $99,999 $100,000 to $124,999 $125,000 to $149,999 $150,000 to $174,999 $175,000 to $199,999 $200,000 or more

96

Standard Distribution for Median Monthly Housing Costs [26 cells]

Less than $100 $100 to $149 $150 to $199 $200 to $249 $250 to $299 $300 to $349 $350 to $399 $400 to $449 $450 to $499 $500 to $549 $550 to $599 $600 to $649 $650 to $699 $700 to $749 $750 to $799 $800 to $899 $900 to $999 $1,000 to $1,249 $1,250 to $1,499 $1,500 to $1,749 $1,750 to $1,999 $2,000 to $2,499 $2,500 to $2,999 $3,000 to $3,499 $3,500 to $3,999 $4,000 or more

Standard Distribution for Median Real Estate Taxes Paid: [14 data cells]

Less than $200 $200 to $299 $300 to $399 $400 to $599 $600 to $799 $800 to $999 $1,000 to $1,499 $1,500 to $1,999 $2,000 to $2,999 $3,000 to $3,999 $4,000 to $4,999 $5,000 to $7,499 $7,500 to $9,999 $10,000 or more

97 Standard Distribution for Median Rooms: [9 data cells]

1 room 2 rooms 3 rooms 4 rooms 5 rooms 6 rooms 7 rooms 8 rooms 9 or more rooms

Standard Distribution for Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs/Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs by Mortgage Status (With a Mortgage): [19 data cells]

Less than $100 $100 to $199 $200 to $299 $300 to $399 $400 to $499 $500 to $599 $600 to $699 $700 to $799 $800 to $899 $900 to $999 $1,000 to $1,249 $1,250 to $1,499 $1,500 to $1,749 $1,750 to $1,999 $2,000 to $2,499 $2,500 to $2,999 $3,000 to $3,499 $3,500 to $3,999 $4,000 or more

Standard Distribution for Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs by Mortgage Status (Without a Mortgage): [14 data cells]

Less than $100 $100 to $149 $150 to $199 $200 to $249 $250 to $299 $300 to $349 $350 to $399

98 $400 to $499 $500 to $599 $600 to $699 $700 to $799 $800 to $899 $900 to $999 $1,000 or more

Standard Distribution for Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income by Mortgage Status: [9 data cells]

Less than 10.0 percent 10.0 to 14.9 percent 15.0 to 19.9 percent 20.0 to 24.9 percent 25.0 to 29.9 percent 30.0 to 34.9 percent 35.0 to 39.9 percent 40.0 to 49.9 percent 50.0 percent or more

Standard Distribution for Median Total Mortgage Payment: [19 data cells]

Less than $100 $100 to $199 $200 to $299 $300 to $399 $400 to $499 $500 to $599 $600 to $699 $700 to $799 $800 to $899 $900 to $999 $1,000 to $1,249 $1,250 to $1,499 $1,500 to $1,749 $1,750 to $1,999 $2,000 to $2,499 $2,500 to $2,999 $3,000 to $3,499 $3,500 to $3,999 $4,000 or more

99 Standard Distribution for Median Usual Hours Worked Per Week Worked in the Past 12 Months: [9 data cells]

Usually worked 50 to 99 hours per week Usually worked 45 to 49 hours per week Usually worked 41 to 44 hours per week Usually worked 40 hours per week Usually worked 35 to 39 hours per week Usually worked 30 to 34 hours per week Usually worked 25 to 29 hours per week Usually worked 15 to 24 hours per week Usually worked 1 to 14 hours per week

Standard Distribution for Median Value/Quartile Value/Price Asked: [24 data cells]

Less than $10,000 $10,000 to $14,999 $15,000 to $19,999 $20,000 to $24,999 $25,000 to $29,999 $30,000 to $34,999 $35,000 to $39,999 $40,000 to $49,999 $50,000 to $59,999 $60,000 to $69,999 $70,000 to $79,999 $80,000 to $89,999 $90,000 to $99,999 $100,000 to $124,999 $125,000 to $149,999 $150,000 to $174,999 $175,000 to $199,999 $200,000 to $249,999 $250,000 to $299,999 $300,000 to $399,999 $400,000 to $499,999 $500,000 to $749,999 $750,000 to $999,999 $1,000,000 or more

Standard Distribution for Median Vehicles Available: [6 data cells]

No vehicle available 1 vehicle available 2 vehicles available 3 vehicles available

100 4 vehicles available 5 or more vehicles available

Standard Distribution for Median Weeks Worked in the Past 12 Months: [6 data cells]

50 to 52 weeks worked in the past 12 months 48 or 49 weeks worked in the past 12 months 40 to 47 weeks worked in the past 12 months 27 to 39 weeks worked in the past 12 months 14 to 26 weeks worked in the past 12 months 1 to 13 weeks worked in the past 12 months

Standard Distribution for Median Year Householder Moved Into Unit: [6 data cells]

Moved in 2005 or later Moved in 2000 to 2004 Moved in 1990 to 1999 Moved in 1980 to 1989 Moved in 1970 to 1979 Moved in 1969 or earlier

Standard Distribution for Median Year Structure Built: [9 data cells]

Built 2005 or later Built 2000 to 2004 Built 1990 to 1999 Built 1980 to 1989 Built 1970 to 1979 Built 1960 to 1969 Built 1950 to 1959 Built 1940 to 1949 Built 1939 or earlier

Percentage

This measure is calculated by taking the number of questions in a group possessing a characteristic of interest and dividing by the total number of questions in that group, and then multiplying by 100.

Quartile

This measure divides a distribution into four equal parts. The first quartile (or lower quartile) is the value that defines the upper limit of the lowest one-quarter of the cases. The second quartile is the median. The third quartile (or upper quartile) is defined as the upper limit of the lowest three quarters of cases in the distribution. Quartiles are presented for certain

101 financial characteristics such as housing value and contract rent. The distribution used to compute quartiles is the same as that used to compute medians for that variable.

Quintile

This measure divides a distribution into five equal parts. The first quintile (or lowest quintile) is the value that defines the upper limit of the lowest one-fifth of the cases. The second quintile is the 40th percentile. The third quintile is the 60th percentile. The fourth quintile is defined as the upper limit of the lowest four fifths of cases in the distribution, or the 80th percentile. Quintiles are presented for household incomes.

Rate

This is a measure of occurrences in a given period of time divided by the possible number of occurrences during that period. For example, the homeowner vacancy rate is calculated by dividing the number of vacant units “for sale only” by the sum of owner-occupied units and vacant units that are “for sale only,” and then multiplying by 100. Rates are sometimes presented as percentages.

Ratio

This is a measure of the relative size of one number to a second number expressed as the quotient of the first number divided by the second. For example, the sex ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of males by the total number of females, and then multiplying by 100.

102